Uncharted
by LorelaiSquared
Summary: (Lizzie Bennet Diaries) As Lizzie prepares to graduate, set up a new company, move to San Francisco and explore her new relationship with William Darcy, she doesn't know what to expect. Life after graduation is a big uncharted void that terrifies her. Can she manage to juggle a start up company and a new relationship or will it all prove to be too much?
1. Chapter 1

_**Notes:** _

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_A huge thank you to **booknoser321** and **Bellieve328** for the very helpful betaing. Thank you also to **erinwert** who helped inspire the title (which comes from the Sara Bareilles song of the same title) and to all of you (you know who you are) who assisted with deciding on a text messaging format. 3 you all._

_The first chapter of this story has actually been up on AO3 for a while and I just realized that I'd forgotten to post it here. I've only just published Chapter 2 though so for today I'm going to upload both chapters 1 and 2. After this, I will post updates weekly from now until the story is complete. So from now on **you will get a new chapter every Monday. Enjoy!**_

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**Uncharted - ****Chapter 1**

Lizzie paused the 98th episode of her video blog at 3:19 and stared at her face for a moment. She was supposed to be finishing up final edits on the written portion of her thesis project, but instead, when she'd gone to look up a specific reference in her videos, she'd gotten sucked in and for the past half hour she'd been re-watching the last few videos and thinking about William.

She pressed play again, sucking in a breath as she watched emotions flicker across her own face. She remembered that moment so vividly, as though it had happened only yesterday and not nearly six weeks before. She remembered how dejected she'd felt, how saddened. She'd genuinely thought that it was over before it had begun, that she had missed her chance and that William would never know how she truly felt about him. And then, he had told her that his feelings hadn't changed, and, even as she watched it now, she felt again the relief and hope that had come flooding over her, and the overwhelming torrent of emotions as she finally admitted to herself how she was feeling. She recalled how utterly terrified she had felt in that moment, how exposed. In fact, there had been a split second where she'd very nearly lost her nerve, as she'd searched for the right words that had failed to come. But then she'd done it. She'd pulled courage she hadn't been aware she had from out of nowhere, closed the distance between them and in the next moment revealed herself to him by kissing him. It was weird watching it happen, even weirder watching herself kiss him on camera knowing that over 400,000 people had also watched this moment, some multiple times if the comments her twitter followers had flooded her with were any indication.

Lizzie paused the video again and this time the image was frozen on their second kiss, the first kiss between them that William had initiated. She would never forget that moment, even if it hadn't been immortalized forever on video. She would always remember the comforting strength and warmth of his hands as they encircled her back and held her, the surprising softness of his lips as he pressed them against hers and poured months' worth of frustration and yearning into that kiss. She recalled how his kiss had taken her breath away, how her heart had been beating so rapidly within her chest that she was certain he could hear it. But most of all she remembered how liberating it had been to finally act on something she'd been suppressing for months, and how happy it had made her. How happy it still made her. Who would have thought that a year ago, when she'd first started this project, she'd end up being in a relationship with William Darcy?

As Lizzie moved her finger on her trackpad to press play again, her phone suddenly vibrated while simultaneously making the sound that indicated a new text message had arrived. Instantly she reached for her phone and for a second she indulged herself in the hope that it would be from William, even though she knew it was unlikely. He'd been away on business for the past week and though she'd heard from him once or twice in that time, those messages had been far too rare and fleeting.

Sure enough, the notification indicated that the message was from Gigi. Smiling despite her disappointment, Lizzie quickly opened the message. Ever since she and William had started dating, she and Gigi had been in near constant contact and Lizzie was fast coming to think of Gigi as one of her closest friends. In fact, Gigi's messages during the last few weeks while she and William had been apart and Lizzie had been finishing her schooling had been a godsend. She frequently sent her encouraging messages, and funny images that always seemed to come at the exact moment when she needed an interruption from the tedium of her thesis project. Her latest message was no exception and Lizzie burst out laughing as she stared at her screen in disbelief.

**- Thought you might be missing my brother, so I made you something**

Below the text was an image of a lobster with William's face photoshopped onto it.

Still giggling, Lizzie typed her response.

**- ?**

Gigi's response was immediate.

**- It's my brother as an agoraphobic lobster**

Lizzie shook her head as she pressed send. This was definitely one of Gigi's stranger messages.

**- I see that. But why?**

-** Because I can!**

**Plus I thought you might need a laugh. You've been working so hard**!

**- It's great! Thanks!**

**I wasn't working that hard though - got distracted by my vlog when I went on to pull a reference**

**- Well you do have an expressive face! I see why it would be distracting**

Lizzie laughed.

**- Gigi, you really think it's MY face I was staring at?**

- :**D**

**Have I told you how happy I am about you and William?**

**- Only about 3000 times!**

**- LOL!**

**Well, you're good for him, he hasn't smiled this much since he became my guardian**

The unspoken implications of Gigi's message hung in the air for a moment, causing Lizzie to draw in a sharp breath. William had yet to really talk to her about his parents, and it was only now dawning on her how much their loss must have shaped him and contributed to the reserved, awkward exterior she'd first encountered. Not for the first time, she felt immeasurable regret at the way she had so wrongly judged him.

Another text message from Gigi startled her out of her thoughts.

**-** **He's good for you too, I think**

Lizzie smiled.

**- I think you may be right about that**

**- Of course I am!**

**- HA!**

**- Okay, I should let you get back to work**

**Can't wait to see you next week! We're lunching before I head off to Sanditon, right?**

**- Definitely!**

**I'll call you later this week**

**- Sounds good!**

With a shake of her head and a wry smile, Lizzie set her phone back on the desk and glanced once more at her computer screen. She really should stop watching her own videos and complete the last of her edits on her thesis project. With one last, wistful glance at William's lovely face, Lizzie reluctantly closed the YouTube tab and returned to the word document containing her thesis.

LB-LB-LB-LB-LB

William Darcy had been stuck in meetings for what seemed like days on end. They weren't even the dynamic, interesting meetings he enjoyed where ideas were flowing and major decisions were being made. No, these were the dry, legal sorts of meetings that were necessary but incredibly dull. In fact, he thought wryly as he tugged at his tie and wished once again that there were windows in the stuffy LA conference room, these meetings were as unpleasant as Lizzie had once imagined _him_ to be.

Today's meeting was particularly tedious and as the lawyers continued to drone on about contracts and liability related to the Sanditon project that Gigi was going to be running, William found his thoughts drifting to Lizzie. He smiled as he pictured her in his mind, her face animated as she spoke excitedly the way she always had in her videos, even when she was speaking ill of him. It had been three days, two hours and twenty six minutes since he'd last heard her voice and twenty seven days since he'd last seen her. He missed her dearly. He tried to imagine what she was doing right now, and a picture came to his mind of her sitting at her desk, hunched over her laptop as she put the finishing touches on her thesis project. The previous week, he'd coerced her into sending him a copy of it and he had been impressed and fascinated by the amount of time and thought she'd put into it; he had been awed by her cleverness, creativity and ingenuity. He'd given her a few notes, which she'd assured him had been helpful, but he knew without a doubt that she was going to do very well on her project.

More importantly, he was certain her new business would be extremely successful. In fact, the business plan she'd written had positively blown him away, and he knew she wouldn't have any difficulty securing funding for her company. If he thought for a moment that she would accept it, he'd even offer to back her himself. Not because he was madly in love with her, although that was true, but because it would be a smart business move. He understood, however, that this was something she wanted and needed to do on her own, and he respected and admired that. Movement from the lawyer across from him pulled him out of his reverie, and he forced himself to return his focus to the negotiations at hand.

Half an hour later, much to his relief, William finally left the conference room, signed contracts that had been painstakingly drafted and amended over the past few days, tucked safely into his briefcase. This marked the last of his business dealings in LA, and with a spring in his step, he left the building, flagged a taxi, and pulled out his phone. Without looking, he dialed Lizzie, set the phone to his ear as he climbed into the taxi, and informed the driver of his destination.

After the fourth ring, Lizzie's voicemail picked up causing William to frown. Where was she? Why wasn't she answering? With a sigh, he patiently waited for her outgoing message to end, then he cleared his throat and spoke, "Lizzie, it's William. I have finished up my meetings in LA and am heading back to San Francisco tonight. Call me when you can." He hesitated, wanting to say the words that had been on the tip of his tongue for weeks but it was probably still too soon. Besides, such declarations were better said in person rather than over the telephone. Instead he said, "Goodbye, Lizzie," before hanging up and staring at his phone with displeasure.

The yearning he'd felt for Lizzie since leaving her to return to San Francisco nearly four weeks earlier suddenly bloomed into full force, and he ached with the desire to see her face and hear her voice. As the taxi navigated the dense LA traffic to take him to his hotel, William closed his eyes and allowed memories to filter through his mind. Lizzie standing off to the side at the Gibson wedding, looking absolutely beautiful as she watched her sister and Bing dance. The light that sparkled in her eyes whenever they debated music, art, or literature during her stay at Netherfield. The pleasant timbre of her laugh the time he'd pretended to be Fitz for her videos. Her soft smile that he'd seen countless times on her videos, but that had meant so much more on the rare occasions when she'd directed it at him. The complete shock and jubilation he'd felt when she'd kissed him for the first time only a few weeks before.

The taxi jerked to a stop outside of his hotel, jolting him back to the present. Upon gathering his things and paying the driver, William hurried to his room and wasted no time in lifting his laptop screen. He ran his fingers delicately over the trackpad to wake it up, then clicked on the tab he'd left open that morning. As he sank onto the uncomfortably high backed chair, he pressed play, a smile tugging at his lips as Lizzie's clear voice filled the room. It wasn't as good as seeing her in person, but it was the next best thing, and he'd take what he could get.

LB-LB-LB-LB-LB

Panic was beginning to set in. Her thesis was due in less than forty eight hours, and suddenly nothing about it seemed right. With a sigh of frustration, Lizzie threw down her pen, giving up on the paragraph she'd been rereading for the past twenty minutes and instead burying her face in her hands. She shouldn't have let herself get sucked into watching her videos earlier. All they'd done was make her miss William more than she already did, and with time running short, she couldn't afford the distraction. In addition to polishing her final draft, she still needed to update her bios on her YouTube, twitter and tumblr pages so that they reflected her current situation. She also had several emails to answer relating to the financial backing for her company. Plus, she had at least half a dozen phone calls to make.

Deciding she needed a break from words, Lizzie returned to her browser and reopened YouTube, quickly navigating to the window where she'd be able to edit her profile. With a sad smile and a tiny bit of nostalgia, Lizzie reread her original description, "My friend Charlotte and I are embarking on an epic expedition to document the insanity of my family for a few weeks." Lizzie chuckled remembering how fresh and exciting this project had felt back then and how she'd had no idea just how epic her expedition would be or how illuminating. She'd been so different then - they all had, really - and sometimes it was hard for her to believe it had only been a year. So much had happened in such a short time span that it made her wonder what the next year was going to bring. There was so much about her future that was unknown however, that the thought merely added to her earlier panic, and she forced it from her mind to be visited at a later date when her thesis due date wasn't looming over her ominously.

Taking a deep breath, Lizzie deleted her original description, and for a moment she merely stared at the empty text box. How could she possibly summarize the past year of her life accurately in one statement? After several failed attempts, she finally settled on, "My yearlong video diary of my sisters, my best friend Charlotte, and eventually a guy named Darcy." She stared at Darcy's name for a long moment, swallowing hard as she fought another wave of yearning for him. Lizzie forced herself to take a steadying breath, then saved the new profile, and pulled up twitter. She was just about to update her profile there as well when Lydia burst into her bedroom.

"Really? You still don't knock?" Lizzie scolded though it was half-hearted. It was actually pretty nice to see another person after all the hours she'd been cooped up alone.

"Sorry, sis, not enough hands." Lydia flopped onto the stool beside her and thrust a large box into her hands. "This just arrived."

Lizzie smiled at the decorated carton. "Jane?"

"Yup. It's really heavy too. I swear she put rocks in it or something." Lydia nudged her lightly with her elbow. "Well, come on, open it."

Laughing lightly, Lizzie deftly opened the box. Jane had been sending her a care package every week during the home stretch for her thesis, and although they weren't necessary, Lizzie appreciated them. Most of the packages had consisted of various combinations of baked goods and tea, and as Lizzie lifted the lid to this latest one, she saw much of the same, although this time there was also a Newsies playbill and a mug.

Lizzie handed the playbill to Lydia, who promptly giggled. "It's like a whole cast of Darcys!"

Lizzie snorted. "Lydia!"

"A stage full of singing and dancing Darcys. Could you imagine?"

Shaking her head, Lizzie moved on, pulling the mug out of the box and promptly burst out laughing when she saw that it was adorned with a red Newsie hat and a bowtie.

"Oh my god, what has Jane done?"

Lydia promptly tossed the playbill onto the desk and snatched the mug from her sister's hand. "Well, it looks like she printed a Newsie hat and bowtie on a mug. It's a faceless Darcinator."

Lizzie laughed and dug around in the box for the letter she knew Jane had included. As she read Jane's words, Lizzie's smile broadened. "Jane and Bing had it specially made for me 'as something to remember my vlog by.'"

"As if you would ever forget. Remember, sis, the internet is forever." Lydia's face suddenly slackened and the implications of her words hit her.

Lizzie noticed the shift and contemplated her sister's face with concern. "Lydia? Are you okay?"

Lydia forced a smile. "I'm fine." At Lizzie's raised eyebrows, Lydia sighed and elaborated. "I keep thinking I'm over it, over _him_ and then I say something stupid like that and it all comes rushing back."

Lizzie pulled her sister into a quick hug. "It's going to take time, but you're doing better."

"I know." Lydia smiled again and this time it wasn't forced. "I'm okay though, really."

After a long pause, Lizzie smiled back, then reached for the mug as if nothing had happened.

Lydia handed the mug back to Lizzie and watched as her sister traced her finger over the bowtie wistfully.

"You miss him, don't you?" Lydia asked softly.

Lizzie nodded. "Yeah, I do."

Lydia was silent for a beat. "You should call him."

"I can't. He's busy working and I have my th—"

"Your thesis can wait two minutes, and even if he's busy you can leave a message." Lydia took Lizzie's phone from the desk and held it out to her. "C'mon. It'll make you feel better and then you'll be able to focus again.

Sighing, Lizzie carefully put the mug down and accepted the phone. "How did you get to be so smart?"

"From watching you." Lydia swung her arms around Lizzie, engulfing her in a sideways hug. "Now call your man and get back to work!" With that, Lydia sprang to her feet and bounced out of the room leaving Lizzie staring at her phone, a bemused expression on her face.

Her phone buzzed suddenly in her hand, startling her. As she stared down at the notification, she frowned.

_Missed call from William Darcy._

The time stamp indicated that William had called less than ten minutes earlier. Lizzie glared at her phone. Why hadn't it rung? What was the point of having a phone if it didn't work properly? With a sigh, Lizzie swiped her finger across the screen. The little red number that indicated she had messages was showing, but given William had only just called her, Lizzie decided to just call him back instead.

Feeling more energized than she had a few minutes ago, Lizzie dialed, a wide grin on her face as she placed the phone to her ear and listened to it ring.

LB-LB-LB-LB-LB

William had just reached the point in Lizzie's 96th video where she'd called him. There was a smile plastered on his face as he recalled what it had been like to hear that message for the first time. He'd just come out of a long, hard meeting, and when he'd checked his phone only to see her number on his screen, his heart had begun to pound in his chest as renewed hope flooded over him. He'd not heard from her since she'd left Pemberley Digital, and though he'd known from watching her videos that she'd learned of his dealings with Wickham, he was still surprised to hear from her. With a slightly shaking hand he'd put his phone to his ear, something inside him relaxing as Lizzie's voice filtered through the line. He couldn't stop himself from smiling when he reached the end of her message and later, when he'd watched the video that had gone with the phone call for the first time, he'd laughed aloud at the look of utter horror on her face in that moment. He hadn't told her yet, but he'd listened to that message at least a dozen times in the days between when he'd received it and when he'd arrived on Lizzie's doorstep. In fact, he still had the message saved and every few days, especially on days when they couldn't talk, he'd listen to it again.

Checking his watch, William sighed, debating if he had time for one more video before he had to head to the airport. He was about to hit play on the next one, when his phone rang, causing him to jump. As soon as he picked it up, his face spread into a wide smile. It was Lizzie, and never had he been happier to hear from her.

"Hello, Lizzie," he said cheerfully as he answered.

"William. I'm so sorry I missed your call before, but for some reason my phone didn't ring."

"It's fine. I finished my meetings and wanted to speak to you before my flight." He winced at the wistfulness in his own voice.

He could almost hear the smile in her voice as she responded. "I missed you too. Let's never go three days without talking again, okay?"

The permanence of the word 'never' in her statement gave him pause for a second and he had to catch his breath. Sometimes he still found it hard to believe that they were in a relationship, that she was going to be moving to San Francisco, that he had the right to talk to her every day, that she wanted him to. "I think I can agree to that."

"Good." He heard shuffling in the background as she settled herself. "How were your meetings?"

William eased back in his chair. "Fine. Tedious. I am glad they are over."

"Everything is set for Gigi's project now though?"

"I believe so. How is your thesis going? Are you feeling prepared to hand it in and defend it on Friday?"

His question was met with silence at first, and when Lizzie did speak again, he could detect an edge of anxiety to her voice that he didn't like. "I think so. I mean there are still so many little things to do, but…"

She was panicking. He could tell. "It's brilliant, Lizzie. Relax. You are almost done."

Judging from her sharp intake of breath, this was clearly the wrong thing to say. There was another pause, and then when she spoke again, her words came out in one long jumble. "I know, but every time I read it over, everything just seems wrong, and I keep thinking of more things that I have to do, and time is running out, and I also have to make arrangements for after graduation, and mom's freaking out about me moving, and I miss you and I only have two days left, and—"

William knew that if he let her, she'd keep going and work herself up even more so he stopped her, his tone gentle. "Lizzie, your thesis is excellent. Charlotte read it. I read it. You have already taken our notes and made it even better. I assure you, you have nothing to worry about."

"I know, but—"

"Stop. Lizzie, you are overtired and stressed, but you're almost there. In three days you'll be completely done, and this will all seem like a bad dream."

She sighed. "You're right. I'm sorry. I didn't mean to freak out on you."

"It's not a problem. I remember how stressful the last weeks of grad school were. I believe I called Bing about coffee beans during my final week."

Lizzie laughed. "What did coffee beans have to do with your degree?"

"Nothing. I was in a state of irrational panic that manifested itself into fixation on hot beverages."

"I can't picture you panicking, William. You're always so calm and proper."

"I have my moments. Just ask my sister. Actually don't, she has a habit of embellishing certain details."

"You realize that just makes me want to ask her more, don't you? I want to know everything about you."

"And I, you. But right now, you have an important task at hand, and I have a flight to catch."

"Call me once you land?"

Once again, William found himself smiling. Her concern for him was adorable. "Certainly. You should take a short break and have a cup of tea. Things will seem less dire after tea."

"Now you sound like Jane."

"Jane is a very sensible person, so I shall take that as a compliment."

Lizzie laughed. "Okay, I promise I'll have some tea before I dive back in."

"Good."

There was another pause and he could sense that Lizzie was trying to say something, but couldn't quite find the words. "William," she said finally, in a low tone that sent a tremor down his spine. "It's really, really nice to hear your voice. It helps."

"I am glad. I should really let you get back to your work though."

"Okay. Bye, William."

"Goodbye, Lizzie." He hung up the phone and frowned at it for a moment. He hadn't liked how panicky she'd sounded and it made him wish he was there with her. Not that he could really do anything to help, but maybe his presence could calm her? He was so proud of her, and he really wanted to see her defend her thesis, wanted to be able to support her through this major milestone in her life. Besides, he missed her dearly and the thought of waiting another two weeks to see her again caused his chest to constrict.

Resolved, William sprang into action, and three phone calls, two text messages, and ten minutes later, it was all arranged. He quickly packed the rest of his things and headed downstairs to meet his taxi. He still had a flight to catch in less than two hours. It just wouldn't be landing in San Francisco.

_To Be Continued..._

_**Notes: **_

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_When I was testing out the text conversation between Gigi and Lizzie I decided to use one of those iphone image generators to make sure it flowed like text and I've posted those here (thelorelaisquared dot tumblr dot com /post/52105757257/graphical-depiction-of-the-text- c onversation) for anyone who is interested in seeing them (alas I do not have the skills to photoshop Darcy's head on to an agoraphobic lobster, so that part is missing :D from this post but ahundredteas has just made one for everyone's enjoyment. It can be found here (ahundredteas dot tumblr dot com /post/52115146847/baby-agoraphobic-lobster-darcy) )_


	2. Chapter 2

_**Notes: **_

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_A huge thank you to **booknoser321** and **Bellieve328** for betaing this and catching my foolish mistakes._

_The first chapter of this story has actually been up on AO3 for a while and I just realized that I'd forgotten to post it here. I've only just published Chapter 2 though so for today I'm going to upload both chapters 1 and 2. After this, I will post updates weekly from now until the story is complete. So from now on **you will get a new chapter every Monday. Enjoy!**_

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**Uncharted - ****Chapter 2**

It was late when the small plane landed so William decided it would be best to go straight to Netherfield for the night and to wait to see Lizzie in the morning. It did not take long for him to retrieve his luggage, so before he knew it, he was in the car he had hired, driving towards Longbourne. Less than five minutes from Netherfield, he made one of the few impetuous decisions he'd ever made in his life and turned the car around, directing himself towards the Bennet household. It was late, yes, but not so late that Lizzie wouldn't be up and the thought of being so near her and not actually seeing her was unbearable.

He parked outside her house and sat in the car for a moment, looking up at the light shining from her bedroom window. His heart began to race with anticipation as he strode casually towards the front door. Not wanting to ring the doorbell lest he wake someone up at this hour, William rapped his knuckles lightly against the front door three times and waited.

For a second he feared that no one had heard him, but no sooner had he raised his arm to knock again, than the door swung open to reveal Lydia Bennet gaping at him.

"Darcenator?" She frowned. "Did Lizzie know you were coming? She didn't tell me."

"Oh, no this visit was not exactly planned. I uh…" Darcy shuffled his feet a bit nervously. "I thought I would surprise her."

Lydia grinned. "Who'd have thought William Darcy could be so romantic?"

He felt his cheeks flush. "I am not sure how to respond to that," he said honestly, after a long moment of awkward silence.

Laughing, Lydia grabbed his arm and tugged him into the house, shoving him towards the stairs. "Oh, just come in, Lizzie's been locked in her room for hours, she'll be glad for the interruption."

It felt very strange to be navigating his way through the Bennet house on his own. He half expected Mrs. Bennet to pop out from somewhere and start asking him awkward questions, but he managed to make it to the landing outside of Lizzie's bedroom without incident. He paused for a long moment, nerves fluttering at the thought of finally seeing her again after so many weeks apart. Finally, he took a deep breath and knocked lightly.

"Come in!" Lizzie's voice called faintly.

William opened the door slowly. allowing himself the luxury of watching her for a moment. Lizzie was sitting at her desk, shoulders hunched as she typed furiously on the keys of her laptop. Papers were spread out over the entire surface of the desk, many of them dotted with red marks, and more of the same littered the floor.

Without ceasing her typing or looking up, Lizzie spoke, "Lydia, if you want something, please just tell me, otherwise I really need to get this done. I've finally figured out what I want to say in-"

"Lizzie?" He kept his voice soft, so as not to startle her.

Lizzie immediately stopped typing and spun around, her eyes round and bright.

"William?" She blinked. "What are you doing here? I thought you were Lydia."

"No, I am definitely not your sister."

Lizzie laughed and the sound was like music to his ears. Phone calls and video chats were nothing compared to seeing her in the flesh. She glanced back at her computer for a second, an expression he couldn't read flashing across her face for an instant before she stood and took a step toward him. "Seriously though, William, why are you here? I thought you were going back to San Francisco."

"I was, but I missed you," he said honestly, shutting the door before closing the distance between them and resting his palm against her cheek. "I could not stand the thought of going another day without seeing you."

"I missed you too," Lizzie whispered, lightly pressing her cheek into his hand and closing her eyes for a moment. When she opened them again, her gaze met his and William found himself taking a sharp breath, suddenly overcome with how utterly amazing she was. He dipped his head, his lips meeting hers in a tender kiss. She responded immediately, seemingly melting against him as her lips parted slightly and a small sigh escaped. After weeks of not being able to kiss her or hold her or touch her, William felt passion well up within him and he deepened the kiss, infusing each of his actions with every bit of emotion and unfulfilled fantasy he'd experienced in the time they been apart. Lizzie followed his lead until they both were flushed and breathless, standing in the middle of her room with their foreheads pressed together.

After a long beat, Lizzie pulled away, her gaze fixed upon her desk. "You really shouldn't be here," she said and the unexpected sharpness in her tone caused him to wince though she didn't seem to notice. "I have a lot of work to do and you're interrupting."

"Oh." William felt his heart drop to his stomach as confusion flowed over him. She didn't want him here despite the way she'd just kissed him? "I am sorry, Lizzie, I should have called first."

Lizzie sighed. She was no longer looking at her desk yet she seemed to be looking everywhere else but at him. "Darcy, can we please talk later? I really need to get back to work."

William flinched at her use of his last name. He'd been 'William' ever since they started their relationship and the abrupt change was jarring to him. "Yes… sorry, I just…" He trailed off helplessly. "I will go."

"That would be best." Lizzie had already turned away from him.

William stared at her sadly for a moment. This hadn't gone at all like he had hoped.

"Please close the door on your way out." Lizzie added, easing herself back into her desk chair. "Lydia sees an open door as an invitation."

"Of course." After casting her one final, regretful glance, William slipped from the room, leaving Lizzie to focus on her thesis.

LB-LB-LB-LB-LB

As soon as Lizzie heard the door click closed behind William she buried her face in her hands, breathing deeply. Sending him away like that had been harder than she'd ever imagined it would be and it had shaken her.

The entire time he'd been in her room she'd been conflicted, torn between wanting to let herself melt into his touch, to hold him and kiss him and show him just how much she'd missed him; and being annoyed at him for interrupting her. She'd spent the better part of her day trying not to think about him, not to miss him, and then, when she'd finally managed to get him out of her head long enough to focus, he'd just showed up expecting her to what? Drop everything and fall into his arms?

Her annoyance wasn't really with him, she knew. It was with the whole situation. She was so close to being finished, to completing her thesis project and graduating, that she was ready to just be done with it all. At the same time, she was secretly terrified to be nearly done because that meant she had to figure out the rest of her life. The future was something that excited her, but it was also unplanned, unpredictable, and unknown and Lizzie wasn't someone who liked not knowing what was coming next.

Still, the fact that William was going to be a part of that future made things a little less frightening. Which was why she'd had to work so hard not to look at him too closely when he'd been in her room. She'd known that if she had, she would never be able to regain focus and finish this draft of her thesis.

Swallowing hard, Lizzie attempted to shove all thoughts of William Darcy from her mind temporarily. She had a job to do right now. But he was in town and when she was done, she could go to him. The thought made her grin as she returned her attention to her thesis and began to tap rapidly on the keyboard. The sooner she finished, the sooner she could see him again.

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William returned to Netherfield with a heavy heart. He had been looking forward to seeing Lizzie again but her reaction had left him feeling confused and deeply troubled. On the one hand, the way she had kissed him had been exactly what he'd imagined, but on the other hand, her distance afterward had hurt. He knew intellectually that it was just because she was in the final days of her thesis and he had probably ruined her concentration, but it still hurt.

As he wound his way through the empty house to his room, he decided that perhaps it would be best if he returned to San Francisco in the morning instead of hanging around, distracting and annoying Lizzie when she clearly did not want him there. He would return for her graduation at the end of next week as originally planned.

He set down his overnight bag on the chair in the corner of his room and unzipped it carefully. Ordinarily he would have unpacked it into the chest of drawers, but seeing as how he was only going to be there for one night, it did not seem worth the bother.

A few minutes later he was in his pyjamas, sitting in bed reading a book when his phone rang. For a fleeting moment he thought that perhaps it was Lizzie calling but a quick glance at his caller id showed that it was in fact his sister. Although slightly disappointed it wasn't Lizzie, William was always happy to talk to his sister so he wasted no time in swiping his finger across the screen to answer the call.

"William?" Gigi's voice was strained and upset, causing him to sit up in alarm.

"Gigi? What is wrong?"

"William! Oh thank god you're okay. I was so worried."

William frowned. She was worried about him? "I am fine, Gigi. What is going on? You sound upset."

"Fitz brought me to the airport to meet you and you never arrived. I was worried something had happened."

William rubbed his forefinger and thumb across his forehead. He had completely forgotten to inform his sister of his change in travel plans. "Gigi, I am so sorry. I changed my flight at the last minute. I am at Netherfield."

He could hear the smile on Gigi's face reflected in her voice when she next spoke. "You went to see Lizzie? Oh, William that's so sweet. She'll be so happy to see you!"

"That is what I thought," he said darkly, cringing at the bitterness in his own voice and hoping that his sister would cease to notice.

She did, of course. "Oh no. William, what happened?"

He sighed and briefly summarized the events that had occurred at Lizzie's home earlier.

"Oh, William," Gigi said with a sigh. "I'm sure she didn't mean it that way."

"She basically kicked me out of her room, Gigi. She clearly does not want me here."

"I'm sure that's not true. She's tired. She's been working on her thesis for weeks and she's almost done. She's just trying to survive. Don't you remember what you were like in your final weeks of grad school?"

William flinched. He had snapped at Gigi more than a few times during that period. "I take your point. Still, I think it was a bad idea for me to come. I thought it would help. I was clearly mistaken."

"Just promise me you won't leave without talking to her again?"

"Okay," he said, feeling slightly guilty for the lie. Lizzie had made it clear tonight that she didn't want him around, and he had no intention of bothering her again. He'd call her once he was back in San Francisco.

"William —" His sister didn't sound convinced.

"Gigi, it will be fine. Stop worrying about me."

"You're my brother, it's my job to worry."

William smiled. He was so lucky to have her. "Speaking of worry, where are you? Did Fitz take you home?"

"We're in the car now. I'm safe, William."

"Yeah, I've got her Darce, she's fine!" Fitz shouted in the background.

"All right. Text me when you get home, Gigi."

He could practically hear her rolling her eyes at him. "I will."

"Goodnight, Gigi."

"Goodnight, William."

He set the phone aside, and tried to focus on his book, but after reading the same passage seven times in a row, he sighed and turned off the lights. By the time Gigi texted ten minutes later, he was once again thinking of Lizzie and internally kicking himself for being so impulsive. It was no in his nature at all and it had very possibly ruined everything. It took him ages to fall asleep and when he finally did it was a restless and troubled one.

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Streaks of sunlight filtered through the gap in Lizzie's curtain the next morning, waking her only a few hours after she'd finally crawled into bed and fallen into an exhausted sleep. William's visit the night before had made her more determined than ever to complete the final draft of her thesis and she'd stayed up into the wee hours of the morning finishing. The thought of getting to see William the next day, guilt free and unburdened by work had helped push her over the final hump. Every time her eyes had started to droop or her fingers started to ache; the thought of getting to see him once she was done would give her a new burst of energy.

When she'd finally typed her last word and printed the entire document, sometime around four am, Lizzie had been tempted to head straight to Netherfield to see him, but she'd talked herself out of it, knowing that William was surely asleep. So instead, she had collapsed onto her own bed, fully clothed and had been asleep in seconds.

Now, as she squinted in the early morning sunlight, she reached for her phone, checking the time.

8:10 A.M.

She groaned. A part of her wanted nothing more than to go back to sleep, but the more persistent part of her wanted to hurry up and go see William. Surely he'd be up by now? The thought of him made her smile, and she rolled out of bed, all thoughts of sleep gone.

Less than thirty minutes later, freshly showered, clad in a new navy blue flowered dress, and with her completed thesis in hand, Lizzie stood on the doorstep of Netherfield. Before she could knock, the door swung open and William stepped outside, his overnight bag slung over his shoulders, and his jaw firmly set. He didn't appear to see Lizzie and nearly knocked her over as he walked past.

"William?" Lizzie's voice was suddenly tentative. Was he leaving already? He just got here. "Where are you going?"

William froze, wasting no time in turning toward the sound of her voice; a mixture of relief and confusion etched across his features. "Lizzie? I am so sorry, I did not see you there."

"It's okay. I was about to knock when you came out. Where are you off to in such a hurry?"

He looked down at his bag. "I uh… well, I was going to go back to San Francisco. You have work to do and I do not want to bother you or distract you. I should not have come by last night. I am sorry."

Lizzie gaped at him, her brow furrowing as she took in his unusually rumpled appearance the hesitancy hidden within his words. "What are you talking about? Of course you should have come. I'm glad you did."

William frowned. "You are? But last night you said I should leave. That I was interrupting."

"I didn't mean—"

"Also, you would not look at me after we kissed."

The hurt was evident in his voice and Lizzie's eyes widened as she thought back over their conversation from the night before and realized how her words and actions must have appeared to him. "Oh, gosh, no. William, I never meant it that way, I'm so sorry." Lizzie walked toward him and gestured to the front steps. "Can we sit?"

At his nod, they sat, side by side on the top step. Lizzie was acutely aware of their proximity and it took every ounce of determination that she had to focus on the conversation instead of the heat that was radiating from their nearly touching knees and shoulders. She forced herself to meet his eyes, swallowing hard before speaking. "William, I never meant to give you the impression that I didn't want you here. I do. More than you could ever know."

"You do?" Hope filled his eyes and Lizzie suddenly felt like she wanted to weep; she hated herself for hurting him.

"Of course I do." Lizzie reached for his hand, she couldn't bear to not be touching him right now, to offer him physical reassurance to go along with her words. "You just had bad timing last night. I spent all day yesterday trying to force myself to not think about you or how much I missed you so I could finish my thesis and I'd finally managed to get to it when you showed up. I was frustrated because I wanted nothing more than to drop everything and be with you, but I knew that I couldn't. That's why I didn't look at you. I couldn't. Because if I had, I never would have been able to let you to leave, and then I wouldn't have finished this last night." Lizzie pulled the stack of neatly printed pages from her bag and set it on his lap.

"You finished it?" William gazed at her in awe.

Lizzie grinned. "Last night, after you left. The knowledge that I'd be able to see you when I was done was the extra push I needed to get me over the final hump. All that's left to do is proofread it for grammatical errors and spelling. Otherwise it's pretty much ready to hand in."

William glanced from Lizzie, to the thesis, to Lizzie again. "So you are not angry with me for disturbing you?"

She shook her head. "Quite the contrary. I never would have finished it last night if you hadn't given me that extra motivation." She carefully took her thesis and slid it back into her bag before setting it aside, standing up and giving him a pointed look. "So are you going to invite me inside now, or are we just going to sit on the front porch all day?"

"In a minute…" He rose, setting his own bag down before bringing his hands to rest gently on either side of her face. He paused, studying her face for a long, lingering moment that caused her breath to catch in her throat, before closing the remaining distance between them.

This kiss was more urgent than the one they'd shared the night before and Lizzie soon lost herself in it, letting all thoughts and worries evaporate away as she kissed him back. All that mattered was the sensation of his lips grazing hers, their tongues melding, the touch of their hands as they clung to one another. Soon they were both gasping for air, faces still pressed together as though neither of them could bear to let go. Lizzie kissed him again, more gently this time, infusing each press of her lips with her apology for hurting him and her gratitude that he was there. He responded in kind and several minutes passed before either of them was ready to stop.

When they finally did, William pulled her into a tight hug.

"I'm glad you're here." Lizzie whispered, hugging him back.

Lizzie didn't have to look up to know he was smiling. "So am I."

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Several hours later they were in the library at Netherfield, working together to make final revisions on her thesis. They had developed a system by which William would read through each page meticulously, circling any grammatical or spelling errors that he found before passing them to Lizzie who would make the changes on her laptop.

William paused from his reading, taking a moment to glance at Lizzie. She was concentrating, the tip of her tongue peeking out from between her lips as she studied the sheet of paper he had just handed her and he was once again awed by her beauty. It still surprised him sometimes to realize that she was actually there in person, just a few feet away from him. After weeks of minimal interaction it was a strange adjustment, yet he was struck by how natural it felt just to be together in the same room, occasionally conversing to clarify a point or take a break, but mostly working in companionable, comfortable silence. It was pleasant and it made him yearn for more.

They had not talked much about San Francisco since Lizzie's focus had, rightfully, been on finishing her thesis, but he had been thinking about what it might be like for weeks. Ever since he had returned home after their blissful first week together, he had started to envision her in his apartment - sipping coffee at his dinning room table, sprawled comfortably on his sofa reading a book, snuggled against him in his bed. Despite the fact that she had never yet set foot in his apartment, he felt her presence there keenly and he was very much looking forward to the scenes in his imagination becoming reality.

As if sensing the weight of his gaze, Lizzie looked up, her eyes meeting his. "What's up?" she asked, a slight flush in her cheeks betraying her reaction to the intensity of his attention.

"Just lost in thought."

Lizzie pretended to gasp dramatically. "Can it be? Is William Darcy daydreaming?"

William chuckled lightly and set the remaining papers from her thesis on the sofa beside him. "Even the CEO of Pemberley Digital is allowed to dream sometimes, Lizzie Bennet."

Her eyes sparkled in response to his teasing tone as she too set her work aside. "Surely, there are rules against it!"

"What can I say? I am a rebel!"

At this, Lizzie burst out laughing. "Those are not words I ever thought I'd hear you say."

William shrugged. "I suppose I am just full of surprises."

"It's true, you really are!" Lizzie laughed. "I like that about you. It's not something I ever expected."

"Expectations are overrated," he replied softly, recalling somewhat bitterly the expectations he'd been saddled with first from his family and then from the Pemberley Board of Directors for as long as he could remember. He had spent a lifetime trying to meet everyone else's expectations for him and he found Lizzie's lack of expectations toward him refreshing.

Lizzie studied him closely for a moment. "Penny for your thoughts?"

"I was just contemplating what life might be like for us once you move to San Francisco." He swallowed nervously as he ventured into a topic he had been wanting to discuss with her for weeks. "Have you given any thought to where you might want to live?"

"Not really." Lizzie's expression turned serious and William couldn't help but notice the way she chewed on her bottom lip absently while she was thinking. "I think it'll really depend on where I find a space for my company. I don't want to have to travel a long distance each day."

"That's wise." His heart began to beat more rapidly as he worked up the courage to ask his next question, uncertain of how it might be received. "You would be welcome to stay with me." Her eyes widened and he quickly added, "You do not need to answer now."

"William Darcy," Lizzie's lips were upturned in a smile, and he felt himself relax slightly. "Are you trying to ask me to move in with you?"

"Yes. No. I mean, only if you want to?" William closed his eyes. He was making a mess of this. He should have waited for a better time, should have thought through his words more thoroughly.

The sofa cushion beneath him bounced lightly indicating that Lizzie had left her chair and was now sitting next to him. This was confirmed when she reached out, taking his hands. "William, open your eyes," she said softly, squeezing his hands gently.

He opened them and found himself looking directly into hers. Her gaze was kind and gentle, but there was an undertone within it that made his breath catch.

"William, I'm completely flattered by your offer and a part of me would love to say yes, if only because it would mean that I would be guaranteed to see you every day."

He swallowed. "But?"

"But our relationship is still very new, for both of us, and I don't think it's a good idea to put that kind of strain on ourselves just yet. Cohabiting is hard even under the best of circumstances, and we're still really getting to know each other."

"Are you always this practical, Lizzie?"

Lizzie laughed. "You've seen my videos; you know I'm not. I just really don't want to do anything that could possibly jeopardise our relationship." She squeezed his hand again, "It means too much to me."

The sincerity of her words caused his chest to constrict. A part of him was deeply disappointed that she did not want to live with him yet, but her reasoning made sense. "Okay, I can respect that."

She smiled. "Thank you for understanding, William."

He lifted her hand to his mouth and kissed it gently. "Always, Lizzie, always."

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Twenty minutes later, after some of the best kisses Lizzie had experienced in her life, she was back in her chair, trying to focus on her final edits. Instead, her thoughts kept drifting to William's offer and she wondered if she should tell him the other reason she didn't want to move in with him just yet.

Money.

She knew it shouldn't be a big deal, and that it wasn't one for him, but she was always acutely aware that they had very different financial backgrounds. William was someone who wasn't used to thinking about money because he had it in spades. He'd never had to struggle to pay for basic necessities the way Lizzie's family had. She didn't blame him for this, he couldn't help that he'd been born into a more privileged family that hers, but it meant that they had very different views when it came to money. William didn't bat an eye when it came to spending, whereas Lizzie carefully considered every purchase, weighing cost vs benefit over and over in her head before making a final decision.

Lizzie knew this was something she was going to have to work through and get over if her relationship with William was ever to go anywhere, but for the time being it was important to her that she be independent financially. She didn't want to just jump from living at home with her parents to living with her wealthy boyfriend. She was a modern, independent and resourceful person and it meant a lot to her that her first venture into 'real' adulthood reflect that. It wasn't going to be easy, she knew; San Francisco was an expensive city, and starting her own company was going to drain most of her resources. Still she needed to succeed (or fail) on her own, and that meant not moving in with her boyfriend as soon as she got to the city. Instead she would look for a shared apartment - one where the expenses were split between four or five people to keep it affordable. Besides, it would also provide her with an opportunity to meet other people. After all, other than William, Gigi, Fitz and the handful of people she'd met during her time at Pemberley Digital, Lizzie knew very few people in San Francisco.

William handed her another sheet from her thesis and Lizzie blinked, pulled out of her thoughts. She smiled at him as she accepted the page and resumed her edits. It was crazy to think that she was nearly done with this project. It had been a part of her life for so long that it was hard to imagine what it would be like to not be working on it constantly. After tomorrow it would be handed in, she'll have defended it and she'd officially be free from all school obligations. Lizzie's stomach fluttered nervously at the thought. Whether she was ready or not, the next phase of her life was about to begin.

_To Be Continued..._

_**Notes: **_

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_Also, a quick shout-out to **erinwert**. I got a little bit stuck on the first part of this chapter and she was the one who helped me figure out what was missing. Everything flowed nicely after that. So really, you have her to thank for this update or I'd probably still be stuck._

_See you for Chapter 3 next Monday!_


	3. Chapter 3

_**Notes: **_

* * *

_As promised, here's Chapter 3!_

_Once again, thank you to **booknoser321** and **Bellieve328** for betaing._

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**Uncharted - ****Chapter 3**

The days following Lizzie's thesis defense passed in a blur. She spent much of it juggling family time with boyfriend time, while also trying to make arrangements for her move to San Francisco. She'd managed to secure meetings with several potential backers and she had made list upon list of things that she'd need to do in order to get her company off the ground.

William, for his part, had offered to help on more than one occasion but Lizzie refused. This was something she wanted, no, _needed_, to do on her own.

They were sitting in the living room at her house, entwined on the couch together awaiting Jane and Bing's arrival when William cleared his throat causing Lizzie to look up from the coil-bound notebook she'd been using to collect thoughts and ideas regarding her future company.

"Lizzie, have you given any thought to what you might call your business?"

Furrowing her brow, Lizzie looked up at him. "Actually, not really, I've mostly been focusing on projections and what I want to say to the potential investors."

"Well, a name is very important. In most cases a name provides the first impression. You want something that will make you stand out but will also help you to sound professional."

"So I guess 'Costume Theater Industries' is out!" Lizzie joked.

William chuckled. "Well, actually, something in that vein would not be a bad idea."

Lizzie gaped at him. "Seriously?"

"Well, costume theatre is one of the things that was most unique to your video diary. It is one of the things that stands out and it was one of your strengths. So something that alludes to it would not be a bad idea - you just need to find the right twist."

After considering this for several minutes, Lizzie nodded. "So something like Newsie Hat Enterprises?"

William frowned. "That one does not quite roll off the tongue, does it?"

"You're right. Hmmm I'll keep thinking about it. Thank you."

"Anytime, Lizzie. I am always happy to help you in whatever ways I can."

Lizzie smiled up at him. "You are full of surprises."

William bent his head to kiss her when, much to their mingled disappointment, they were suddenly interrupted by what sounded like a herd of elephants as Lydia bounded down the stairs shouting, "They're here!" She came to an abrupt halt in front of them, groping for their arms and pulling them both to their feet. "Get up you two, Jing is here!"

"Jing?" William looked puzzled.

Lydia merely rolled her eyes as she tugged them both towards the door. "I thought you said you watched Lizzie's videos?"

"I did."

"Well then, you should know that Jing is short for Jane and Bing." Lydia shot her sister a look. "Is he always this dense?"

Lizzie laughed. "It's not exactly intuitive, Lydia."

"Whatevs."

As Lizzie and William followed Lydia, William leaned close to Lizzie and asked, "So does Lydia have a fancy nickname for us too?"

"Of course I do, Darce-face!" Lydia told him as she pulled the front door open.

"Do I want to know?"

"Dizzie."

"Dizzie?" William repeated, brow furrowed.

Lydia sighed. "Darcy plus Lizzie. Dizzie. It's not rocket science. "

"Ahh. I suppose not."

Lizzie patted his arm affectionately. She could tell that despite having spent more time with her recently, Lydia still largely perplexed him. "Just go with it. Nicknames are Lydia's way of showing affection."

Before William could respond, Lydia released a loud shriek and tore down the driveway toward Jane and Bing who were in the process of extracting their overnight bags from the trunk of a sleek rental car. Jane turned at the sound, setting down the bag in her hand and opening her arms for her youngest sister just in time for Lydia to throw herself into her arms. "Janie! I missed you so much!"

Jane laughed. "I missed you too, Lydia." She hugged her sister tightly before releasing her and walking over to where Lizzie and William were standing watching. "Lizzie!" She cried, delighted. As they hugged, Lizzie saw William walk over to Bing, shake his hand and clap him lightly on the back.

Lydia was already lugging Jane's bag into the house by the time Lizzie had finished hugging Jane. "Hurry up, you guys!" Lydia called from the doorway. "Mom made pie and I want to eat it while you tell us how glamorous and amazing New York is."

Sharing a knowing glance with Jane, Lizzie threw her arm over her sister's shoulder and guided her towards the house. "Welcome home, Jane!"

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"Rise and shine, Bestie!" Charlotte's cheerful voice filtered in amid Lizzie's dream-logged thoughts and it took her several moments to realize that the voice was real and not just another part of her dream.

"Char?" Lizzie's voice was hoarse as she reluctantly pried her sleep-laden eyes open. "What are you doing here? I thought you couldn't come."

"I'm the boss now, aren't I? What good is being the boss if you can't shift things around? You didn't seriously think I was going to miss my since-foetuses best friend's graduation, did you?" Charlotte perched herself on the edge of the bed, giving Lizzie time to wake up.

Lizzie yawned and propped herself up on her elbows. "How long are you here for?"

"I have to head back after the ceremony tomorrow." Charlotte tapped Lizzie's leg. "Which is why I've come to get you so early this morning! We are long overdue for some girl-time."

Half an hour later they were sitting in one of their favourite cafe's. "So tell me what it's like being in charge." Lizzie demanded as soon as the waitress had taken their orders.

"It's hard work," Charlotte answered honestly. "Catherine Debourgh has pretty high expectations and she gave me a lot of grief at first - always checking in on me and questioning my decisions, but she and I have reached an arrangement and she mostly leaves me alone now."

"That's good. What about Ricky? Do you hear from him?"

"Mr. Collins and I have a conference call every Monday morning, but other than that I hardly ever hear from him. He's pretty busy getting the Canadian offices set up."

"So you're pretty much on your own then?"

"Yup. It's great, but it's weird too. There are all these people who look up to me now - everyone comes to me if they have a problem or anything, and I've even hired some new interns recently. We've got this one, Kelsey Geller, who I think has some real potential."

"That's great." The waitress brought them their drinks, and they both fell silent. When she left, Lizzie said quietly, "What's it like, being the boss though? Isn't it terrifying?"

Charlotte's eyes narrowed. "Not really. I mean it's a lot of pressure, but I'm usually so busy I don't even think about it."

"Oh." Lizzie ran her finger idly over the rim of her water glass until Charlotte reached out to stop her.

"Lizzie, what's wrong?"

She met Charlotte's gaze for a moment as she tried to sift through the myriad of fears and emotions that had been plaguing her recently. "I'm scared," she finally whispered. "What if I can't do it? What if my company fails? What if I don't have what it takes to be the leader of my own multimedia company? What if—" Charlotte leaned forward and placed a hand on Lizzie's arm. Lizzie stared at it for a moment as her words faltered.

"Lizzie, listen to me. I have known you my whole life and I have never once known you to fail at something once you put your mind to it. You can do this. I know you can."

"Do you really think so?"

"Of course! Lizzie, if anyone can pull this off, it's you. Look at how successful your video diary was - you still get new subscribers and you haven't even uploaded a new video in nearly six weeks. And you did that without even trying. Think of what you'll be able to do when you actually devote your time to it."

The doubt and fear started to fade a little. "Thanks, Char."

"Anytime." Charlotte grinned. "Now tell me about you and Darcy. Did he really show up to surprise you last week?"

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"William!" Gigi waved at him from the opposite end of the row of white chairs.

"Gigi! What are you doing here? I thought you could not come." William wove his way toward her and engulfed her in a hug. "It is lovely to see you, though."

After hugging her brother tightly, Gigi said. "I wanted to come see Lizzie graduate. Besides, I'm leaving for Sanditon in a few days and I've hardly seen my big brother at all lately."

A wave of guilt flooded over him. "I am sorry about that, I should not have been away so long right before your big move."

"Don't be silly, William. Of course you should have been here for Lizzie. I'm fine. I've mostly been busy running around getting stuff ready before I go so you wouldn't have seen me much anyway."

Feeling slightly better, William ushered his sister down the row of chairs to where Lizzie's family was sitting. He introduced her to Mr and Mrs Bennet and Jane before sitting next to Bing and indicating for Gigi to sit beside him.

"Where's Lydia?" Gigi asked softly. "I was really looking forward to meeting her."

"She should be here soon. She and Charlotte went to help Lizzie with something."

As if on cue, Lydia suddenly bounded over, Charlotte trailing behind her. "Oh my god, wait until you all see Lizzie. She looks even more totes adorbs than usual."

"Lydia," William waved his hand to get her attention. "This is my sister, Georgiana."

"Gigi," she corrected, rising to her feet.

"Oh, hi!" Lydia reached out to shake her hand when Gigi instead engulfed her in a hug.

"It's so great to finally meet you." Gigi said excitedly. "I've watched you in Lizzie's videos and I feel like I know you."

William watched, puzzled as Lydia awkwardly extracted herself from Gigi's embrace looking extremely uncomfortable. "Uh, it's nice to meet you, too." The words sounded forced. "Have you met Charlotte yet?" Before William could process what was happening, Lydia pushed Charlotte towards Gigi and made her way to the empty chair next to Jane.

Although Gigi politely greeted Charlotte, William could tell that she was hurt by Lydia's reaction. William himself was perplexed by the whole thing. He'd thought for sure that given how much she and Gigi had in common they'd be sure to get along well. After all they were both young, excitable girls who'd been through heartache. Surely that was something they'd bond over? Now he wasn't so sure.

Before he could ponder it fully, however, the ceremony started and his thoughts were instead pulled to Lizzie. He was so proud of her as she walked across the stage to collect her degree. She'd worked so hard to get to this moment and he was so glad he was able to be here now to support her. He studied her as the rest of her peers were called and he was so enthralled by her that it came as a surprise when the ceremony ended. As though propelled by their own accord, he found his feet moving towards her and suddenly she was locked in his arms and he was telling her how proud he was. Their moment was fleeting however as the rest of her family descended upon them and William found himself standing by, letting the rest of her loved ones share in Lizzie's moment of triumph.

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By the time she fell into bed after her graduation, Lizzie was utterly and completely exhausted. She'd enjoyed having her family and friends around, and having Gigi there had been an unexpectedly pleasant surprise, but they had worn her out and she was very much looking forward to sleep.

She closed her eyes, expecting to drift off quickly, but was dismayed when she spent the next hour tossing and turning. Despite the physical exhaustion she felt, her mind had kicked into high gear the moment her head had hit the pillow. It was as though her graduation had triggered every fear and anxiety about her future that had been slowly building for weeks to bloom into full force and now it was all she could think about.

When she did finally fall asleep, it was an uneasy one, plagued by unpleasant dreams about her uncertain future. She dreamt that none of the staff at her company would listen to her or take her seriously. They laughed in her face every time she spoke and soon she was standing in the midst a crumpled building, as all her faceless employees looked on, laughing, pointing and judging her. They shouted things at her like, "Failure," "Amateur," "Not good enough," and she soon woke up panting, silent tears streaking her face.

Lizzie was tempted to call William, wanting his comfort, knowing that his presence might help. Yet, although her finger hovered over his number on her phone, she couldn't bring herself to do it. She didn't want to appear weak and insecure to him. She didn't want him to judge her or to know just how terrified she was about all the upcoming changes. So instead she padded downstairs, made herself a cup of tea and, after sipping it slowly in the darkened kitchen, made her way back upstairs where she managed to catch a few more hours of restless sleep before morning dawned, bringing with it the reality of her new life. Her future was about to begin and no matter how terrifying it was, she was going to face it head on.

_To Be Continued…_

_**Notes: **_

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_I hope you enjoyed! See you next Monday for Chapter 4!_


	4. Chapter 4

_**Notes:**_

* * *

_Sorry, this was a bit later in the day today, but it's still technically Monday._

_Thanks to **thegreatsporkwielder** for betaing this last minute for me so it could still go up today._

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**Uncharted - Chapter 4**

"Lizzie! Wait! You forgot this!"

Halfway through closing the back of the van she'd borrowed, Lizzie spun around to see Lydia stumbling her way out of the house, a haphazardly packed carton in her arms. "What is that?"

Lydia thrust it into her sister's arms and shrugged. "Some stuff you'll need to spice up your otherwise sure to be boring apartment in San Francisco."

"Umm, thanks." She glanced into the box, noting the framed photograph of herself and Lydia. Grinning, she added the box to the pile in the van before turning to engulf her baby sister in a massive hug. "I'm going to miss you, too, Lydia."

"Who said anything about missing you? It's just a bunch of random stuff." Despite Lydia's words, the upturn of her smile gave the truth away.

"Sure it is." Lizzie gestured to the house, where she could see their mother hovering in the doorway. "Are you sure you're going to be okay here by yourself?"

Lydia's face fell a bit, but she nodded. "Yeah, I'll be fine, sis. I can handle Mom and Dad on my own."

"I'm more worried about Mom trying to handle you. Especially now that you're her only single daughter and she doesn't know about…" Lizzie trailed off, her face stricken as her sister paled. "I'm sorry; I wasn't thinking."

"No, it's okay. You're right. But Dad's got Mom covered and I'm thinking maybe I'll sign up for some more classes or something. It might help me figure out what I want to do with the rest of my life. So I'll probably barely be home anyway."

Lizzie studied her sister for a long moment; she and Lydia had bonded a lot in the past few months and selfishly, a part of her wanted to whisk her baby sister off to San Francisco with her. No matter how much she sometimes wanted to wrap Lydia up in a bubble to protect her, deep down she knew that her sister needed to figure things out on her own. That didn't and wouldn't stop her from worrying, though.

Sighing, she secured the back of the van, and said, "Anytime you need a break, you just let me know. You can come visit whenever you want, okay?"

"Oh, I'm def gonna come visit you, big sis!" Lydia threw her arms around her. "I can't wait to check out what kind of fancy digs you're going to have thanks to Darce-face."

Lizzie hugged her sister back then pulled away and rolled her eyes. "Lydia, we've been through this; I'm going to find my own place."

"Yeah, but Darce will make sure it's not some dump in the ghetto somewhere. I'm telling you, it's going to be swanky, and I wanna see it."

"Sure, Lydia." Lizzie let out a small snort, then quickly sobered as her father gestured to his watch from the front porch. She really did have to get going if she didn't want to get stuck sitting in traffic on the way into San Francisco. "God. I really am going to miss you."

"Ditto." Lydia gave her another quick hug before shoving her back towards the house. "Now go say bye to the 'rents before this whole exchange takes a sappy turn and you ruin your makeup."

Laughing, Lizzie returned to the house to hug her parents. The previous evening she'd had a long chat with both of them, so there was no need for lingering goodbyes. They'd all said what they needed to for now.

Five minutes later, she pulled out of the driveway and turned toward Netherfield, where she was to meet up with William. Then they were going to take turns driving her car (which was already there) and the van into the city. At the stop sign at the end of the street, Lizzie glanced back at her childhood home one final time. Sure, she'd be returning in future for family gatherings and holidays, but it would never again be her home. The car behind her honked, causing Lizzie to jump. Reluctantly, she tore her eyes away from the house to focus on driving toward her new life.

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William glanced in the rearview mirror to ensure that Lizzie was still right beside him. They had hit traffic about 10 miles outside of San Francisco, but now they were deep in the heart of the city and he didn't want her to get lost as they wound their way through the residential area he lived in.

As he pulled up to the curb outside his building, he felt anticipation at the thought of Lizzie seeing his home for the first time. Would she like it? Would it be too fancy for her? Too masculine? After much negotiating, he had managed to convince her that it would be prudent and wise for her to stay with him when she initially moved to the city so she would be free to get her bearings and look for a place of her own. Secretly, a part of him wished that she'd decide it was okay to stay, but she'd been fairly adamant on the matter. Still, even though she wouldn't be staying with him for long, he anticipated that she'd probably be spending a fair amount of time there and it was important to him that she feel comfortable there.

Before he could worry about it further, Lizzie parked her car behind him. She stepped out of the car, glancing up at the three story building in front of them with wide eyes. Classic San Francisco bay windows adorned the front face of the building, while a long gated walkway and steep set of stairs led the way to a landing with three numbered doors. "This is where you live?" Lizzie asked, and William smiled at the puzzlement in her voice.

"Not what you were expecting?" William pulled her overnight bag from the trunk of her car and slung it over his shoulder. They'd unload the rest in the morning.

"Not exactly." Lizzie tried to take her bag, but he shook his head, striding to the gate and swiftly unlocking it, before pausing to wait for her. She scowled before removing her purse from her car, ensuring it was securely locked, and following him. As they passed through the gate and walked up the path she mused, "I kind of pictured you in one of those modern high rise buildings with a doorman and a fancy elevator and all of that. You know, like you see in movies."

William smiled and slid his key into the lock of the middle door on the landing. "That really is more of a New York or LA thing. Besides, I prefer something with a little more character."

"You are constantly surprising me."

Grinning, he held the door open for her, revealing a small entry way with a closet for jackets and a neatly organised shoe rack. To the left of the door was a curved wooden staircase that led up to the main living space. William led the way, sneaking the occasional glimpse at Lizzie in an attempt to gauge her reaction. Her face was frustratingly unreadable as she scanned the room. Her eyes darted from the sleek, modern kitchen, furnished with state of the art, stainless steel appliances, to the wide, inviting island that opened up into his spacious dining room which contained the antique dining table his mother had picked out when he was a little boy.

The dining room flowed directly into the living room, his favourite room in the house. His desk, a reading chair and several bookshelves, filled the back corner of the room and served as his office. Next to this, sat a large, L-shaped couch, one side of which rested along a wall with two large bay windows. At Gigi's insistence, he had splurged on a comfortable reclining sofa as opposed to the classic chesterfield he'd originally considered, and it had become one of his preferred spots to unwind after a stressful day at work. A large, flat screen television hung on the wall across from the couch. In the corner opposite the desk, but still in view of the couch was one of William's favourite features of the apartment, a beautiful fireplace with hand-carved mantel that the previous owner had built himself. Lizzie's gaze lingered on the photos that adorned the mantel and after a long moment, she moved toward them, studying them with interest.

"Are these your parents?" she asked softly, gesturing to one of them.

Leaving her bag near the hallway to the bedrooms, William came to join her. "Yeah. This was my mother's favourite photograph of the four of us. It was taken on her birthday the year I turned nine."

"Where are you?"

"Golden Gate Park. My mother loved it there and through the summer we would go every Sunday afternoon. My father often had to work on weekends, but he joined us when he could." He smiled wistfully, thinking back to all the long summer days he had spent in the park with his family. Those had been some of the most carefree days of his childhood. It had been the one time he'd been able to forget that he was the eldest heir to a media empire and just be a kid.

"You look so happy. You're smiling."

"You sound surprised."

"Well, it wasn't until recently that I knew you could."

"To be honest, after my parents died, I didn't have a lot to smile about. Until I met you."

Lizzie blushed and absently tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. "I'm sorry, we don't have to talk about this. I know it must be painful."

William shook his head. "No, it is all right. I want to tell you about them. They would have loved you."

"You think so?" Lizzie's eyes were uncertain as she looked up at him.

He brushed a thumb gingerly across her forehead and down the side of her face, tucking a stray tendril of hair behind her hair and letting his hand come to a rest on her cheek. "There are very few things in this world that I am certain of, and this is one of them. Mother would have been enchanted by you. She would probably commend you for bringing out my more playful side. I think she always thought I was too serious. Father would have been impressed by your intelligence and ingenuity. He would have approved of you starting your own company. He admired ambition."

"They sound like wonderful people," Lizzie whispered, standing on tiptoe to kiss him gently.

"They were. I sometimes regret that I did not appreciate their finer qualities until after I had lost them." He thought back to his resentment in the years before his parent's deaths. He had hated the pressure his father placed on him to become his protege at Pemberley Digital and there had been times where he had even toyed with breaking the mould and studying something other than business in college. He had never quite had the courage to defy his family however, and in the end it had been a blessing. He loved Pemberley and he was honored to be able to carry on the family legacy.

"I'm sure they knew."

"Maybe." William shook his head. "It is getting late. We should get you settled in the guest room and prepare something for dinner."

Lizzie looked as though she were going to protest, but after a second, she nodded. "Good plan, I'm starving."

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The next morning, Lizzie leaned against the counter in the center of William Darcy's kitchen, sipping her coffee slowly as she looked around, examining her surroundings again in the morning light. Despite having been here a mere twelve hours, Lizzie already felt comfortable here. It wasn't homey like the house she grew up in, but it was still warm and inviting and seemed to reflect the very best parts of William.

While she'd been lost in thought, William had come up behind her and she started slightly as he wrapped his arms around her and kissed the top of her head.

Smiling, Lizzie spun in his arms, pulled his face to hers and kissed him thoroughly, causing him to emit a small, "Oh!" of surprise before kissing her back.

"Good morning, sleepyhead," Lizzie teased a few minutes later.

"Good morning!" As he reached around her to grab the coffee pot, his arm brushed against the bare skin of her shoulder and she shivered. The previous evening they'd both been too tired to think about it, but now in the freshness of the early morning Lizzie was suddenly hyper aware of how very alone they were. Although they'd managed to have some stolen moments alone at Netherfield and her bedroom at home, they had not yet had the opportunity to "go all the way", as Lydia would call it. It wasn't that Lizzie didn't want to, she definitely did, but at first their relationship was too new for either of them to be ready to take that step and since then they'd either been separated or surrounded by well meaning family and friends.

William seemed to be thinking along the same lines because his gaze locked on hers as he abandoned the coffee and began to deliberately run his palm up and down her bare arm. Lizzie swallowed hard, her heart suddenly beating in double time. As if by mutual, unspoken agreement, they both moved their faces closer, the air thick between them. Just as their lips were about to meet, a loud beep sounded from Darcy's pocket and they jumped apart, the moment lost.

"Sorry," William said genuinely as he dug out his phone. "My calendar, reminding me I have a meeting at 8:30."

Lizzie glanced at the clock on the stove. It was already 8:05. "I guess you have to get going then?"

Disappointment that echoed her own was evident in William's eyes. "Yes. I better." He poured his coffee and started to sip at it. "So what's your plan for the day?"

"Apartment hunting." Lizzie didn't miss the way William avoided her gaze. He didn't have to say anything for her to know that he was still hoping she'd relent and stay with him.

"Do you want some help?" He managed to say after a long silence. "I am sure Gigi could—"

"No, it's okay. I already have a list of possibilities that I found online. I'm hoping to go look at some of them today."

William nodded, took a large gulp of coffee and set his mug on the counter. "Okay. Well, if you need anything, you have my number. I should be home around 6:00 and then if you're up for it we could go out for a nice dinner?"

"Sure." Lizzie kissed his cheek. "Have a good day."

He bent to kiss her properly. "You too." With that, he picked up his briefcase and descended the stairs leading to the front door, leaving Lizzie alone to start figuring out her next step.

_To Be Continued…_


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes:**

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Special thanks to** SallySlytherin** for looking this over for San Francisco accuracy and to **thegreatsporkwielder** and **ninefiend** for betaing.

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**Uncharted - ****Chapter 5**

Lizzie sighed and let her computer slip off her lap and onto the black leather sofa in William's living room. The bulk of the listings she'd found online before had turned out to be unavailable already so she'd been forced to search anew, pouring through ads from various classifieds and websites until her eyes were burning. So far, out of the dozen or so listings she'd found in her price range, half were already rented, two were in neighbourhoods she wouldn't want her worst enemy to live in, and three had yet to call her back. She'd managed to make an appointment to view one of them that afternoon, but overall she was feeling pretty discouraged. Was it always this hard to find somewhere to live?

Intellectually, she knew that this was only the first day and that these weren't the kinds of things that happened instantaneously. Still, she hoped it wouldn't take too long. She was eager to feel settled somewhere so she could focus on her company and her relationship with William.

Her phone lit up suddenly, accompanied by the short buzz and cheerful ding that indicated she'd just received a new text message. Glancing down at it, Lizzie smiled. It was from Lydia

**- You still alive? You didn't call, you didn't text**

Lizzie laughed as she read the message.

**- Yes. Sorry, we got in late last night**

**- I get it**

** You're too busy binging with Darce-face to remember the little peeps.**

**- LYDIA! **

**- Sure Lizzie you're not fooling anyone**

**- I slept in the guest room last night**

**- Whatevz**

** Mary's here**

** Gotta go!**

** Glad you're not dead **

**- Thanks. I love you too, Lydia**

**-Laters!**

Shaking her head, but smiling Lizzie started to drop her phone in her lap when it lit up again. This time it was Gigi.

**- Welcome to San Francisco! **

** I assume you and my brother made it back okay?**

**- Yeah. He's at work already**

**- Typical**

** What are you up to today? **

**- Apartment hunting **

**- Eww. That sucks. Any luck? **

**- Not sure yet, heading out to look at some places soon **

**- Okay, I won't keep you. We still on for lunch tomorrow? **

**- Definitely**

**- Great! I'll meet you at William's and we can go together**

**- Sounds good**

Noting the time, Lizzie groaned and dragged herself off the sofa. She needed to get ready to head out if she was going to make it to the apartment viewing in time.

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William was swamped at work. Between his business meetings, his impromptu visit to Lizzie and helping her move, he'd been away for nearly three weeks. Even thought he'd been telecommuting the entire time, there were still a good two dozen things that required his immediate attention. His personal assistant, Janice, had organized it all for him according to priority, but still he could already tell it was going to be a long day.

To make matters even worse, Brian Kallechenko had called an emergency board meeting for that afternoon. Mr. Kallechenko was one of the senior members of the board and he had been strongly opposed to William becoming CEO after the death of his parents. In recent years, after William had proven himself countless times, they'd reached a sort of working truce, which basically meant they were polite to each other when their paths crossed publicly and the rest of the time they stayed out of each other's way. The fact that he, specifically, had called this meeting for reasons unknown, made William extremely nervous.

His phone suddenly flashed with a reminder for the meeting and William sighed. He'd been hoping to try to check in with Lizzie before he had to go, but he'd been so busy playing catch up that time had gotten away from him. Instead, he typed out a quick text to her and was just hitting 'send' when Janice walked in and handed him a stack of files and papers for the board meeting.

"Thank you. Janice." Accepting the pile, he rose to his feet and began striding toward the conference room.

She walked with him until they reached her desk. "Not a problem, sir."

He was about to continue on when a thought struck him. "Could you please call and make a reservation for two at Scoma's."

"Certainly. For what time?"

William considered. He was likely going to have to put in some extra time tonight. "Better make it 8:00, just to be safe."

"I'm on it."

"Thank you." William continued on to the board room, alarmed to find the entire board already seated and waiting for him.

"So good of you to finally join us." The greeting had come from the opposite end of the table where Brian Kallechenko sat sneering at him.

Not wanting Brian to realize how unsettled he was by this, William ignored the comment and smiled at the rest of the board members as his slid smoothly into his seat at the head of the table. After taking a moment to personally greet the other people at the table and to ask after their well-being, William sat up stiffly and finally met Brian's glare with a steely gaze of his own. "Good to see you, Brian," he lied, hoping his voice didn't sound overly forced. "How're Margaret and the girls?"

"They're fine." He replied stiffly.

"Good to hear that." William offered him his best fake smile. "So, Brian, would you care to enlighten us all on the purpose of this impromptu meeting?"

Brian cleared his throat. "Right. Well, as we are all aware, the Sanditon Domino Beta test begins next week, and I have some serious concerns."

William had to refrain from rolling his eyes as Brian detailed his worries. He had been incorrect. It wasn't going to be a long day. It was going to be an extremely long day. Thank goodness he would get to see Lizzie at the end of it all.

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By the time Lizzie had showered, and dressed, two of the people she'd left messages for called back and she'd set up two more visits for that afternoon. Her phone buzzed again as she bolted down the steps. Once she was settled in her car, she quickly checked, grinning when she saw it was a message from William, telling her how much he missed her and wished he was with her instead of at the office.

**- Trust me my day isn't any better **

** Apartment hunting sucks!**

** I miss you too though, see you tonight **

** Xoxo**

She waited a moment to see if he'd respond, but when her phone remained silent, she figured he was probably busy so she tossed her phone onto the passenger seat and started the car.

Even in the middle of the day, San Francisco traffic was proving to be slower than she'd anticipated, but miraculously, Lizzie managed to make it to her first appointment on time. She parked on the left side of the street as she'd been instructed, and was careful to turn her wheels since the street was on a rather steep hill. It didn't take her long to locate the correct house number. Like William's building, the neighbouring houses were attached on either side, but unlike Williams building, this one lacked the pretty bay widows and charm. The house was painted aqua-marine blue, and tattered pink awnings hung above each of the windows. The tiny strip of concrete that passed as a front yard was littered with trash and bits of discarded furniture and Lizzie had to watch where she was stepping in order to avoid tripping over anything as she gingerly made her way to the front door, which was painted a garish shade of pink.

She half considered fleeing back to her car, but she convinced herself to stay. She knew that better than anyone that looks could be deceiving, and she'd been trying really hard not to prejudge people or situations. Taking a deep breath, she knocked on the door. It swung open almost immediately, revealing a girl with bleach-blonde hair, wearing a purple tube top, and leather pants. The girl was chewing a massive wad of gum, loudly, and by Lizzie's assessment, she couldn't have been much older than 19.

"You must be Liz," the girl said in a bored tone. "I'm Trish."

"Actually, it's Lizzie," she corrected.

Trish rolled her eyes. "Whatever. Are you coming in, or what?"

Against her better judgement, Lizzie stepped inside, immediately regretting it. The front room was a pigsty. Every available surface was covered in discarded soda and alcohol bottles, clothing, garbage and even old food. Lizzie had to bite her tongue to keep from gagging when she spotted something green and fuzzy beneath the coffee table. Pre-judgemental or not, Lizzie knew there was no way she could live here. This was confirmed a moment later when the pile of mess on the sofa suddenly moved to reveal a very hungover and extremely strung out boy with long greasy hair.

"That's Luke. He's one of the other roommates," Trish said, completely oblivious to Lizzie's horror. "There's six of us total."

Lizzie frowned. "But didn't the ad say it was a three bedroom?"

Trish shrugged. "Yeah, it's two per room. Here, I'll show you."

Before Lizzie could protest, Trish was leading her past a tiny (and extremely dirty) kitchen, and down a dark hallway. Trish opened one of the doors to reveal a small room with two beds. One bed was mussed but unmade, the other was completely bare, revealing a suspiciously stained mattress. The floor was covered in books and clothing.

"This would be your room," Trish explained. "You'd be sharing with Shawna. She's at work right now. She works in a tattoo parlour on the Haight."

"Right." Lizzie wondered what the fastest way would be to get out of there. "Um, I have another place to look at, so I should go, but thanks for showing me."

Trish shrugged and led her back to the front door. "Whatever. If you're interested you have the number. Don't wait too long."

Lizzie nodded although she knew she'd never be calling that number again. As soon as she was safely outside, she breathed deeply, savouring the freshness of the air. She couldn't believe that people actually lived like that. Shuddering at the thought, she quickly walked back to her car and looked up the next address, hoping against hope that it would be better.

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As predicted, William was stuck late at the office. Kallechenko's ridiculous board meeting had taken up more than half his afternoon and had required him to basically rehash every single detail of the Sandition project that had already been covered in depth in previous meetings. Truthfully, it had been a waste of everyone's time and William was going crazy trying to figure out why Kallechenko had done it. Not a single change had resulted from the meeting unless you counted his mood.

His only contact with Lizzie since the morning had been a brief series of text messages arranging dinner and he texted her again now, realizing he wasn't going to have time to return to the apartment if they were going to make their reservation.

**- My apologies, Lizzie, I am only leaving the office now. **

** I shall send a car for you and meet you there. **

Her response was immediate.

**- I love how formal your texts always are**

**- I believe all correspondence should be properly punctuated. **

**- Never text with Lydia then, you'll have nightmares!**

** You don't need to send a car though **

** I can drive myself**

**- Of course you can, but I have my car. If you are without yours, then we can ride home together. **

** Also, I have already called them.**

**- Okay **

** I'll see you soon then?**

William smiled, the thought of seeing Lizzie was what had gotten him through his day.

**- Absolutely. **

While he'd been texting Lizzie, William had locked his office and made his way down to the main level. He quickly secured the building, and then, without a second glance, strode purposefully to his car and drove away.

It was five minutes past eight when William finally reached the restaurant. As he approached, he could see Lizzie standing outside, hugging her long red jacket to her body. She glanced around as though looking for him and when she spotted him her face broke into a smile so bright it caused his heart to race.

"Lizzie," he breathed, unable to keep the awe from his voice. She was here, in San Francisco and this was their first date in the city. The evening suddenly felt more important than it had even a minute before and he quickly closed the distance between them, capturing her lips in a passionate kiss that took them both by surprise. As she relaxed against him and opened herself up to his kiss, William recalled their moment in the kitchen that morning and his desire for her jumped to exponential levels.

A car honking on the Embarcadero jolted them both, and they broke apart, suddenly aware they were in a very public place.

William felt his cheeks flush. "Sorry, I had not meantâ€""

Lizzie shook her head and slipped her hand into his reassuringly. "I know. Don't worry about it."

"We should probably â€"" he gestured to the restaurant, feeling frustrated by his sudden inability to complete sentences.

"Right." Lizzie gripped his hand reassuringly and followed him into the restaurant.

A few minutes later they were seated at a secluded, candle lit table in front of a window that overlooked the bay.

"This is beautiful," Lizzie told him, after they had ordered their meals and their server had left them alone. "Do you come here often?"

"Not too often. It's one of Gigi's favourites though, so I bring her when I can. They have good food."

"And good views," Lizzie added, although she was looking at him instead of at the water and the intensity of her gaze made his face flush again.

"And good views," he repeated, returning her gaze. Lizzie's cheeks reddened visibly and after a moment she looked down.

William reached across the table, touching her hand lightly and causing her to look up again. "How was your day?" he asked, allowing his hand to rest casually over hers.

He watched as Lizzie glanced at their hands for a moment, then after twisting her hand so she could thread her fingers through his, she met his eyes again and answered, "Awful."

"Tell me about it?" William asked and Lizzie launched into a horrifying description of the first house she'd visited that day.

"Needless to say," she finished, "I will not be calling them back."

William couldn't help but feel relieved. "Sounds like a good choice. You said you saw three places though. What were the others like?"

"Better."

"But?"

Lizzie sighed. "Well, one of them was above a record shop on Powell Street. It wasn't clean exactly, but it wasn't a health hazard either, and the people who lived there seemed okay, I guess."

"What aren't you telling me?"

"It was all guys who lived there. And they're all young and in college. It was alright, but I'm just not really sure it's the right fit for me."

William felt a mild amount of jealousy rise within him at the mention of Lizzie possibly living with other men, but he quickly bit it back. He trusted Lizzie, and besides, she didn't seem that interested in the place anyway. "What about the third place?"

"It was probably the best of the three. Only two roommates - and both of them are a bit older and working instead of in college, which I think is better. Plus, it was in a house that looked pretty well cared for and clean."

"That does sound good, what are the cons?"

"It's pretty much on the other side of town from where you live."

William couldn't prevent himself from making a face.

Lizzie laughed and squeezed his hand. "Exactly."

"You should probably still consider it though," William said reluctantly.

"I know, I will." The server brought their food then and the passed the next few minutes eating in silence until Lizzie spoke again. "What about you? Tell me about your day."

They passed the rest of the meal in comfortable conversation, and William realized that he'd never in his life been on a date this relaxed. Girls he'd dated in the past had always had such high expectations of him. Either they expected him to entertain them or they prodded him with uncomfortable personal questions. He'd never been in a situation like this where he felt like he was free to truly be himself and where there wasn't some unspoken pressure to perform or to prove himself worthy of the Darcy name. With Lizzie it was different. Comfortable. Real. Easy.

He almost laughed aloud at that thought. If anyone had asked him to describe his relationship with Lizzie six months ago, "easy" would have been the last word he'd have used. Complicated, confusing, or unattainable, would have been more accurate. Thankfully, none of those applied anymore.

"Penny for your thoughts?" Lizzie whispered, reaching for his hand.

"I was just thinking about how far we have come. Even three months ago, I never would have imagined we would be here."

Lizzie seemed to be considering his words carefully. "Do you ever wonder where we might be now if I hadn't made that phone call?"

"I learned a long time ago that it's best not to dwell on the 'what if's'. They can drive you crazy." William closed his eyes for a moment as he was involuntarily flooded with memories of all the times he'd try to wish his parents' death away. It had, of course, never made a difference and had merely made him miss them more.

Lizzie squeezed his hand. "You okay?"

He opened his eyes and nodded. "I'm great." And he was, because he was with her.

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They went for a walk after dinner, walking hand in hand along the water in the moonlight. The tension she'd felt between them that morning had been present all through the meal and had intensified every time their hands had touched or their eyes met, or their knees bumped beneath the table. Now, as they walked together, Lizzie felt the energy between them continuing to build and she felt as though she would burst if they didn't do something about it soon.

For the moment, however, she was enjoying herself. It was a beautiful night and despite the city lights behind them she could see a few stars in the sky above them. She could smell the salty air from the bay and the sound of waves gently lapping against the shore was calming.

William's shoulder brushed against her and Lizzie shivered.

"Are you cold?" he asked her, concern evident in his voice.

Lizzie shook her head and smiled. "Not really."

William didn't look convinced, but he remained silent as they continued to walk. He stopped a little further along and suggested they sit on the cement wall overlooking the water. Lizzie agreed and soon she found herself nestled next to him, his arm around her shoulder, hugging her close. She burrowed in more closely, inhaling and savouring his scent.

There was no one else around, and they stayed like that for several long minutes, enjoying each other and the view, until Lizzie shifted, tilting her head so she could look up at him.

"This is nice," she said softly.

William smiled down at her, his face mere inches from her own. His breath against her cheek made every inch of her skin feel alive in a way that she had never experienced before. She wasn't sure which of them closed the distance between them, but either way it felt to her as though they were moving in slow motion, and it seemed like an eon passed before his soft lips finally found hers. They had kissed before of course, many, many times, but there was something different about this kiss. Something beneath the surface. Lizzie wasn't sure if it was passion, or urgency, or what, but she knew that the sensation of his lips against her own, and that thing he was doing with his tongue made her entire body feel as though it were on fire.

She pulled away, breath coming in shallow gasps as she tried to recover. "I think it's time to go home," she managed to whisper, and William agreed, taking her hand and helping her to her feet.

Once they were buckled into the car, Lizzie found herself missing his touch, so as soon as it was safe to do so, she sought out his right hand which rested on the gear stick and covered it gently with her own. They didn't speak for the entire ride. At least not with words. Instead they spoke in glances, in the brush of his thumb over the side of her hand, in the intwining of their fingers, in the matching raggedness of their breath. It was like a delicate, wordless dance and by the time William pulled onto his street it had reached a crescendo so vast, Lizzie was almost certain it would suffocate them.

As soon as the car was parked, William came around and opened the door for her. Normally Lizzie would have teased him for this act of chivalry, but the time for teasing had passed, and right now, all that Lizzie wanted to do was get inside. The few seconds it took him to gather their things and lock the car felt like an eternity, and Lizzie felt his absence keenly. She was more than relieved when he returned to her side and wrapped his arm around her. They walked up the path to the house more slowly than they normally would have because they couldn't seem to take their eyes off of each other. Lizzie tripped as they entered the gate and it was only William's arm on hers that prevented her from falling on her face. She giggled and the tension between them eased slightly.

It wasn't until they reached the stairs that either of them noticed the person sitting at the top of the stairs, her knees drawn into her chest, her head bent as her red hair cascaded down, covering her face.

Lizzie's heart began to race for an entirely different reason, and her breath caught in her throat for a moment as she stared at her younger sister. Concern filled her features and within seconds she had taken the steps two at a time and was pulling Lydia into her arms.

William had followed her and was quickly unlocking the door. She caught his eye, relieved to see concern and understanding rather than the disappointment she'd half expected.

Lydia had yet to speak, but Lizzie could tell that she was crying, that she had been crying for quite some time. She desperately wanted to know what was wrong and why her sister was there so unexpectedly, but if she had learned anything about her sister in the past few months, it was that she would open up when she was ready. Until then, Lizzie would just need to be patient and supportive.

It wasn't until she had helped Lydia to her feet and was guiding her inside that she spoke.

"He came back." Her voice was so strained, and quiet that for a second Lizzie thought she had heard wrong. One look at William and the tightening of his jaw, however, and Lizzie knew it was true. She strengthened her grip on her sister protectively and somehow managed to continue to lead her into the house.

"It's going to be okay." Lizzie hoped she was right.

_To Be Continued…_


	6. Chapter 6

_**Notes: **_

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_Huge thank you to __**TheGreatSporkWielder**__ and __**Believe328**__ for their beta skills on this chapter._ _Thank you also to __**erinwert**__ who was my sounding board for a lot of this chapter. Discussions with her made so many parts of this chapter better._

_It's only just come to my attention that my scene breaks weren't showing up here for some reason. I've just gone through and edited all the past chapters so that this is now fixed. My sincere apologies for any confusion this error may have caused. Please do not be afraid to PM me to let me know if you see any other errors in future. Enjoy chapter 6!_

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_**Uncharted - **_**Chapter 6**

Lydia was curled into the corner of William's sofa, her knees drawn up to her chest, hugging them as her eyes stared vacantly off into the distance. Lizzie sat next to her feeling helpless as her concern for her sister grew with every passing moment. She would occasionally pat Lydia's knee or rub her back but if her attempts at comfort were making any difference, Lydia wasn't letting on.

William entered the room carrying a steaming mug. He set it carefully atop a coaster on the coffee table in front of them. "I made you some hot chocolate," he told Lydia. She turned her head and stared at him for a long moment before nodding and staring instead at the mug.

Taking a couple of ginger steps backward, William met Lizzie's gaze meaningfully, as if to say, 'I'll give you two some privacy.' Lizzie nodded her understanding and watched as William walked away. He was nearly out of sight when Lydia finally broke her silence.

"No. Darcy, stay." At his look of uncertainty, Lydia cast him a shaky smile. "No, really, you should hear this, too. Besides, Lizzie's just going to tell you anyway."

That was true, but all the same, Lydia and William weren't especially close. Lizzie placed a hand over her sisters. "Are you sure?"

Lydia nodded. "Positive." She leaned forward then, picking up the mug William had brought her and blowing on it lightly before taking a sip.

William settled himself on the couch on the other side of Lizzie, still looking mildly uncomfortable. Lizzie offered him her other hand and he took it immediately, squeezing lightly before they both turned their attention back to Lydia and waited for her to speak.

She had the far away look in her eyes again and Lizzie felt anger and bile start to rise up in her throat. What the hell had that bastard done to her now?

After taking another slow sip or her hot chocolate, Lydia lowered it, resting it against her knees as she started to talk.

"We were at the mall, Mary and I. We'd done a bunch of studying in the library this morning and Mary had promised we could go shopping after. She even tried on a few things that I picked out for her, and we were laughing as we left this one store, and that's when it happened." Lydia swallowed hard before continuing. "I walked right into him. I wasn't paying attention to where I was going and the next thing I know, boom, I hit something hard, and when I looked up it was him. It was G-George." Lydia''s knuckles were turning white where she gripped the handle of the mug and Lizzie felt the overwhelming urge to hunt George Wickham down and punch him in the face.

At the mention of George's name, Lizzie felt William tense up. His grip on her hand tightened and although her attention was still fixed on her sister she rubbed her thumb over his hand until he relaxed a little.

Lydia took another sip of her drink and when she lowered the mug again, her knuckles were no longer white but her voice tremored slightly as she continued to relay her story. "I didn't say anything at first. I think I was in shock. I didn't know he was back in town. I didn't think he'd have the nerve to even come back to town ever again after what he— after what happened. Things had been getting better and then BOOM there he was. Mary started to pull me away and George just stood there, looking everywhere but at me, I'm sure he was probably planning escape routes or something, but as Mary and I started to walk away, something inside me snapped. I was angry. So angry that he had the nerve to show up just when I was doing better. To be standing there avoiding me. But most of all I was angry that despite everything, a part of me was still attracted to him, still loves him."

Tears were splashing onto her cheeks now and Lizzie tried to brush them away, but Lydia pushed her hand away.

"I broke away from Mary and I stormed up to him and whispered, 'Why did you do it?' He looked at me then, started to say my name, to make some excuse about needing money and being in danger. That's when I realized I didn't want his excuses. So I interrupted him and I told him that I didn't need to know because it was probably just a lie anyway and it didn't matter. I told him that I'd loved him and that I thought he really had loved me too. Then I said that I wasn't angry anymore, I was sad. Sad because we could have been great, no, amazing, but he threw it all away."

Lizzie watched her sister carefully as she spoke, noting the way her body language changed as she spoke. She was sitting up straighter, her shoulders square, her jaw set determinedly. Suddenly, she placed her mug back on the coffee table and stood up, pacing in front of Lizzie and William as she continued her story.

"George tried to say something after that, but I wouldn't let him talk. Instead I said, 'You know what I think the truth is? I think you were scared. I think you were getting too comfortable and it scared the crap out of you so you sabotaged it, sabotaged us.' He was quiet for a moment and then he asked for another chance." Lydia stopped pacing and met Lizzie's gaze. "I thought Mary was going to hit him when he said that. I can't blame her really, but I had it. I told him how I used to hope that he'd come back and say just that, but that I'm stronger than that now and I know better. I told him I couldn't be with anyone who didn't love himself and that I hoped one day he'd learn to love and respect himself because despite everything I do want him to be happy, it just can't be with me. And then I took Mary's arm and we walked away. He tried to follow us, he even grabbed my wrist and told me he was sorry. I think it was genuine, but it didn't matter. I told him I was sorry too and then I pulled my wrist out of his grip and we left."

Lizzie walked over to her sister and pulled her into a hug. Lydia accepted the comfort willingly this time, sinking into her arms. Lizzie wrapped her arms more tightly around Lydia's back and just held her for a long a moment. "I'm so proud of you," she whispered as she relaxed her grip. "I know that couldn't have been easy."

Lydia shook her head. "It gets worse."

Lizzie stiffened."It does?"

Lydia nodded. "You should sit down for this."

"Why?" Lizzie narrowed her eyes.

"Mom knows."

Lizzie gasped and stumbled back to the couch, where William immediately took her hand again. "Oh no! How?"

Lydia perched herself on the edge of the sofa and picked up her drink again. "When Mary and I got home after," her breath hitched, "the mall, Dad was in the living room and he saw how upset I was. So Mary told him that we ran into George. That's when Mom rushed in gushing about how she knew he'd come back and I should invite him over for dinner."

Lizzie winced. "She didn't!"

"Unfortunately she did. And Mary sort of snapped. I've never seen her like that before. She started yelling at Mom for being inconsiderate and in the midst of her tirade she let the truth of why we broke up slip out."

"Oh god, Lydia, I'm so sorry." Lizzie gave her a sideways hug.

Lydia shrugged. "It's okay. Mom needed to know the truth eventually. Still as I'm sure you can imagine, Mom started to have an epic freak out. I couldn't handle that, not after everything else, so while Dad was trying to calm her down, I ran upstairs, packed a bag and hopped on a bus. Now, before you start to lecture me, I texted Mary, she knows where I am and she said she'd make sure Mom and Dad know. I just, couldn't stay there any longer."

Lizzie laughed wryly. "I can understand that."

"You are welcome to stay here with us for a few days. There are several free guest rooms." It was the first William had spoken since Lydia had begun her story.

"Are you sure? I know Lizzie just got here and all and the timing is crap, but I didn't know where else to go."

"Of course. It is not a problem. Consider this your temporary home." William gestured to the room.

Lizzie smiled at him gratefully. Lydia was right, her timing wasn't great, but these sorts of situations weren't exactly planned. The fact that she had come to her for help was a huge step for them. She turned back to her sister. "You must be exhausted."

"I am," Lydia agreed, looking weary.

"Let's get you settled in then, and we can talk more tomorrow."

LB-LB-LB-LB-LB

When William walked into the kitchen the next morning, he found Lydia sitting at his dining room table alone, sipping at a mug of steaming coffee and staring out the window.

From what he could tell, she seemed to be in better spirits than she had been the night before, though her quiet stillness reminded him of the way Gigi had been in the days and weeks following George's departure.

He cleared his throat, not wanting to startle her by speaking unexpectedly.

Lydia turned to him and smiled. "Morning, Darcenator. Lizzie's in the shower. She said she has some kind of appointment this morning."

"Yes. I believe she's meeting with one of her potential investors." He poured himself a cup of coffee and sat at the opposite end of the table. "I have to head out myself shortly. Will you be okay by yourself? I could always call Gigi—"

"No!" Lydia interrupted, her tone shrill. "That isn't necessary."

Frowning, William set his coffee down. "Okay. If you're sure. I just thought that since the two of your have so much in common you might enjoy having some company."

The look Lydia shot him was dark and moody. "What exactly is it that we have in common? That we're both 'energetic'?"

William winced, it wasn't the first time his words had come back to haunt him. "I never meant—"

But Lydia wasn't listening. Instead her eyes narrowed as she continued. "Or is it that we both slept with George Wickham?"

He gaped at her for a moment, trying to formulate some kind of response. "I just thought that you two would get along, is all." He finished feebly, after yet another glare from Lizzie's sister.

"You and half the internet." Lydia snapped. "Look, Darcy, I get that you're with my sister now and all that, but that doesn't mean you know anything about me. Let me make this clear, I respect the fact that Gigi is your sister, but I have no interest in being friends with her, now, or ever."

William watched, stunned, as Lydia stalked over to the sink, dumped the rest of her coffee down the drain, and put her mug in the dishwasher.

"And in answer to your question, I'll be fine. I am perfectly capable of entertaining myself." With that, Lydia fled from the room, passing an incredibly perplexed Lizzie along the way.

"What was that all about?" Lizzie asked as she tilted her head to one side and dried her hair with a towel.

William shook his head. "I am not entirely sure," he admitted. "I merely suggested that she might want to spend some time with Gigi while we are both out this morning, and she got quite upset."

Lizzie sighed. "Yeah, Gigi isn't exactly one of Lydia's favorite people."

"But they have only met once."

"Lydia is a complex person." Lizzie draped her damp towel over the back of a chair and entered the kitchen to pour herself a cup of coffee.

As William absently tracked Lizzie's movements, he was struck by how unsettled his encounter with the youngest Bennet had made him. He knew he wasn't the best at reading people, but still he was completely baffled by this whole sequence of events.

"Look, don't worry about it," Lizzie said softly and he blinked, surprised to see her standing in front of him. "Lydia will be fine."

William nodded. "I'm sorry for upsetting her."

Lizzie smiled and bent so her face was level with his. "I know," she whispered, before kissing him soundly.

LB-LB-LB-LB-LB

Lizzie's meeting ran late and as she rushed from it to her lunch with Gigi she was eternally grateful that she'd had the foresight to text Gigi and ask her to meet her at the restaurant instead of at the house. Although the main reason she'd sent the text had been William's conversation with Lydia that morning, and her fear that an actual encounter with Gigi right now would agitate her sister further, it had turned out to be a fortuitous change.

She reached the restaurant with a few minutes to spare so she paused outside for a moment, catching her breath and straightening her hair and clothing. Her meeting that morning had been stressful and she hadn't yet taken a moment to process it all. She'd met with a man named Kevin Stevenson. He was some wealthy businessman whose family had found great success within the bay area and he himself owned multiple companies. He'd spent the majority of their meeting peppering Lizzie with question after question about her goals for her new company, what kind of content she hoped to create, how she planned to market it and what kind of profit she anticipated making.

It had been incredibly overwhelming and for most of the meeting Lizzie had felt like she was barely keeping her head above water in the conversation. She gave answers to the best of her knowledge and did her best to fake it, but all the while she was certain he could seeing right through her. The truth was, when Lizzie had first decided to try running her own company, the idea had seemed exciting, exotic and exhilarating, but the reality was terrifying. The closer she got to making it actually happen, the more she realized that she didn't really have a clue what she was doing. She'd just graduated from grad school. She'd shadowed a few companies for a month each. Sure, she'd read dozens of books and taken classes about business management, but when it came down to it, Lizzie didn't feel like she truly knew what she was doing.

In fact, since her graduation day, she'd awoken in the middle of nearly every night from nightmares, all of them centering around her company flopping completely. She hadn't said anything about this to anyone, particularly not William. Everyone kept telling her how amazing and brave she was and how much they believed in her and thought she'd do great. Yet all Lizzie could think about was how she was terrified of letting them all down. More than once she'd wondered if maybe she shouldn't shelve the idea and try to get some more experience in the field first. That way she'd have a better handle on the industry and have a chance to really figure out what it was she wanted to do with her own company.

At this point however, her family and friends, not to mention all of her viewers, knew that she was starting her own company and it felt like an automatic failure to pull out now. So she'd continued to trudge ahead with her plans in the hopes that things would just click. Still, despite her internal uncertainty throughout the meeting with Kevin, he had seemed interested in her ideas and they had parted on a hopeful note. He hadn't said yes to investing yet, but he hadn't said no either.

Taking a deep breath, Lizzie shoved all her business thoughts to the back of her mind and plastered a smile to her face before entering the restaurant. Gigi was already there, seated at a table near the center. She spotted Lizzie immediately and waved her over.

"Lizzie! Hi!" Gigi stood up to greet her and Lizzie felt her smile turn from forced to genuine.

"Gigi, it's great to see you again!" She hugged the younger girl before they both took their seats.

"You too. How are you enjoying San Francisco so far?"

"It's all right. Been a bit of a whirlwind."

Gigi laughed. "I'll bet. Any success with the apartment hunt?"

"Not really." Lizzie sighed. She'd been so worried about her meeting with Kevin that she'd nearly forgotten her apartment hunt. She really should try to go see a few more places that afternoon. Maybe Lydia would like to come with her.

"That great, huh?"

"I've seen a few places but so far they've either been completely unliveable, out of my price range, or clear on the other side of town."

"I hear you. I've been trying for almost a month to find someone to sublet my apartment while I'm in Sanditon and it's been an absolute nightmare."

"Really? I would have thought lots of people would be interested in a place like yours."

Gigi waited until the waitress had taken their orders before responding. "Oh, interest isn't the problem. It's finding someone who I know is going to look after it and not wreck the place or rob me blind that's the issue."

"Are you asking for references?"

"Of course, but I've had some really weird results." Gigi sighed and took a sip of her water. "You wouldn't want to stay in my apartment while I'm gone would you?" She'd said it in passing, but suddenly Gigi sat up straighter and grabbed Lizzie's wrist. "No really, I'm serious, it would be a perfect solution for both of us!"

Lizzie considered it. "I mean, it's not a bad thought. Your place isn't far from William's and it's got good transit connections."

"And you won't have to pay—" Gigi began but Lizzie quickly cut her off.

"No. Absolutely not. If this is going to happen, I insist on paying rent."

Gigi looked as though she were going to protest but something about Lizzie's determination must have stopped her because a second later she nodded. "Okay, fine, but we'll negotiate what that'll be. I'm not leaving for Sanditon until Saturday so we still have a few days to sort everything out."

Lizzie smiled, relieved to at least have her housing situation sorted for the time being. It was perfect really. Gigi was going to be gone for nearly three months. That would give Lizzie plenty of time to get her company up and running, and she'd be able to take her time finding another suitable place to live before Gigi returned.

Their food arrived then and they passed the rest of the meal in friendly conversation about Gigi's upcoming trip and work in Sanditon.

LB-LB-LB-LB-LB

Although it had been another insanely busy day at work, William had managed to leave the office at a more humane time and it was just after 6pm when he returned home and walked up the stairs to find Lizzie and Lydia in his kitchen giggling together. There was a bowl filled with cookie dough between them and William had to refrain from wrinkling his nose as they both dipped their fingers into it.

He cleared his throat, announcing his presence, and Lizzie turned to face him, her face bright and happy. "William!" she cried joyfully, "You're home. Join us!"

Surveying them carefully he stepped forward just as Lizzie stretched out her hand to offer him some of the cookie dough. "Uhhh no thank you," he declined politely.

"William Darcy, are you afraid of a little cookie dough?" Lizzie joked.

"I prefer my cookies fully baked and salmonella free."

Lydia made a face. "Snoresville. Convention is boring. Come on Darce, take a walk on the wild side." She grabbed a spoon from the drawer. "Look, you can even be civilized and eat it with cutlery."

William shook his head. "I am okay. But thank you for the offer."

Lydia shrugged and tossed the spoon into the sink. "Whatever, Darcenator. Just means there's more for us."

He watched her for a moment, recalling their conversation from that morning. "Lydia?"

"Yeah?" she looked at him questioningly, a large glob of cookie dough on her fingers.

"About this morning —"

Lydia shrugged. "Don't worry about it."

"No. You were correct. I made assumptions about you that I should not have made. I sincerely apologize."

"It's okay. Really. I get it." Her face had turned serious. "I owe you an apology too. I shouldn't have jumped down your throat like that."

"I appreciate that, but I was out of line. The truth is, I do not know you, but perhaps in time we can change that?"

Lydia smiled brightly. "I think I'd like that, Darcenator." She returned her attention to the bowl of cookie dough and he felt a bit lighter knowing that things were okay between them again.

During his exchange with Lydia, Lizzie had washed her hands and she was now standing in front of him, a grin on her face. "Hey," she said, her voice husky.

He looked down at her, abruptly aware of their proximity. He swallowed hard. "Hello." They stared at each other for several long seconds.

"Oh just kiss already. I won't look," Lydia said from behind them, and though William couldn't peel his eyes from Lizzie, he sensed that she was probably rolling her eyes at them.

He hesitated an instant longer before dipping his head and giving in to his desires. Lizzie's lips were soft and pliable and he felt her sigh against him as he deepened the kiss slightly, still all too aware that they had an audience.

"Welcome home," Lizzie whispered, when they pulled apart a minute later. "We were just celebrating."

"Celebrating what?"

Lydia licked the latest cookie dough of her fingers and William had to refrain from visibly showing his distaste. "Lizzie's got a place to live!"

"You do? Already?" William couldn't help but feel disappointed. He had hoped it would take her longer than two days to find her own place and move out of his.

"Don't act so excited!" Lizzie teased, nudging his shoulder with her own. "It's not like I'm even going to be that far away."

"Where is it?" He asked, trying hard to sound happy for her.

"Gigi's!" He could sense Lizzie studying him as he processed this information.

He frowned. "I didn't think there were any vacancies in her building."

"Not in her building, you doofus," Lizzie laughed, "I'm going to sublet Gigi's apartment while she's in Sanditon."

"Oh!" William let out a laugh of his own. "That is a very practical solution for both of you. Why did I not think of that?"

Lizzie rolled her eyes playfully. "Sometimes you have to let other people come up with the good ideas."

"This is true." He smiled at her. "So that means you're still here until Saturday?"

Lizzie grinned back. "You bet."

"And I'll be out of your hair tomorrow," Lydia chimed in. "So you two can canoodle without me around to harsh your feels."

William wrinkled his brow, trying to work out what Lydia meant. Lizzie seemed to sense his confusion and said, "I think she means we'll have some privacy."

"Oh." He managed to say after she slowly dragged her fingers down his arm before releasing it and the unspoken implication of her words settled over him heavily.

"Are you two done being gross?" Lydia asked. "'Cause as much as I'm lovin' the cookie dough, I could go for some real food, you know?"

William had to force himself to tear his gaze away from Lizzie. "Of course."

_To Be Continued…_


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes:**

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Thank you very much to **booknoser321 **for betaing this chapter. Thanks also to **erinwert **for being the advanced guard and providing me feedback on the content of this chapter.

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**Uncharted - Chapter 7**

"Wakey! Wakey!"

Lizzie moaned and covered her head as something heavy landed on her. She cracked an eye, confirming that something was her scrawny but definitely heavy younger sister.

"C'mon, Lizzie! Aren't you ready for Lydia and Lizzie's epic day of sisterly awesome?"

Groaning, Lizzie gently pushed her sister off. "Can't I at least wake up first?"

Lydia sighed dramatically. "Fiiiine. But hurry, we're already wasting time. There's so much to do and see and —"

"Lydia, I love you and I mean this in this nicest way possible, but, get out!"

Huffing, Lydia pulled herself off the bed. "You have ten minutes!" she said before bounding out the door.

As soon as she was gone, Lizzie burrowed deeper into her pillows. She was excited to spend the day with her sister in the city. They hadn't done anything like that, just the two of them in ages, but the truth was, despite the fact that she'd just been sleeping, she was exhausted. Between continued nightmares about her impending company and vivid dreams about William that left her breathless, hot and dissatisfied, Lizzie hadn't managed to get any quality rest. With a loud sigh, Lizzie reluctantly rolled out of bed, stumbled around for suitable clothing, and made her way to the bathroom to get ready.

She emerged a few minutes later, in time to see William pulling on his suit jacket and picking up his briefcase. He beamed at her and quickly came over to greet her.

"Good morning, Lizzie. I was afraid we were going to be like passing ships in the night."

"Sorry, I didn't sleep well last night."

William's brow instantly furrowed. "Is everything all right?"

For the briefest of seconds Lizzie contemplated telling him everything, but the clatter of a plate in the kitchen quickly reminded her that they were not alone, and William had a job to get to. Lizzie shook her head. "It's fine. Just restless." She rolled up onto the balls of her feet and kissed him lightly. "I'll see you tonight?"

"Definitely!" He turned to look back at Lydia. "You two have a good day!"

"Oh, we will," Lydia called out. "We have a very detailed plan."

His gaze met Lizzie's again and she shrugged. "I shall leave you to it then."

Lizzie watched him as he descended the stairs and left for work, her cheeks flushing slightly as random images from her dreams the night before flitted into her consciousness. She stood at the top of the stairs for several long moments until Lydia snapped her fingers, drawing her attention.

"Earth to Lizzie, we have sister things to do, remember?"

Lizzie startled, then smiled. "Yes, of course. Just let me have some coffee, and we can get going."

LB-LB-LB-LB-LB

After an extremely busy morning, during which Lydia had dragged Lizzie all over, she (and her feet) were eternally grateful to have some rest while they sat in a restaurant near Fisherman's Wharf and waited for their food to arrive. So far, they had ridden a cable car, explored dozens of touristy shops, sampled chocolate at Ghirardelli's, window shopped the boutiques in Ghirardelli's Square, and wandered around the wharf. After lunch Lydia wanted to head over to the Haight and then explore Golden Gate park.

Although Lizzie had done a lot of those things already, mostly during her outing with William and Gigi when she'd been at Pemberley, she was thoroughly enjoying experiencing them all again with her sister. More importantly, she was enjoying the chance to be with Lydia without any drama, family interruptions, or other shenanigans. It was nice, and it made her slightly regret the missed opportunities between them during all those years where they had been so busy shutting each other out.

Lydia's mood had taken a turn, however, and Lizzie was perplexed as she watched her sister huff and lean her face melancholically against one hand, her elbow resting against the table.

Nudging her sister gently with her toe beneath the table, Lizzie said, "Yo. Mopey, what's up?"

She sighed and dropped her arm, sitting up straighter. "I'm not sure I want to just go home and go back to school."

"But I thought your classes were going well?" Lizzie frowned, trying to work out where her sister was going with this.

"They're fine, I guess. It's just…" Lydia fell silent, her finger tracing the droplets on the side of her water glass.

"What?" She kept her voice even, not wanting Lydia to think she was judging. They'd come a long way in the past few months and she didn't want to spoil it by slipping back into old habits.

Lydia hesitated for a moment, then sighed heavily. "I don't know what I'm doing with my life, or like what I want for my future. It seems like kind of a waste to be taking all these classes without having any kind of goal in mind."

Lizzie nodded. "Well, what do you think you want to do? For example, where do you see yourself in five years?"

"That's just it. I don't know. I mean I'm interested in lots of things, but this whole thing with… with George, it's made me realize that I want more out of my life, and right now I feel like I'm just drifting aimlessly without any direction."

Lizzie considered her Lydia's words for a long moment. She could relate to that. Before she'd decided to start her own company, she'd felt much the same way and she said as much to Lydia.

"So how did you figure it out? How did you decide that opening your own media company was what you wanted?"

"It didn't happen overnight. I talked to different people, listened to what they said, did a bunch of research, spent a lot of time thinking and reflecting on it. I also talked to Charlotte a lot. In the end I made the choice that felt right. Doesn't mean I don't still have doubts."

Her sister gaped at her. "You do?"

"Of course I do. I've spent the past week questioning my choices - it's scary, but I'm working through it and taking it one step at a time."

"Well, I don't want to start my own company, I know that." Lydia wrinkled her nose. "Too much work."

Lizzie laughed. "Fair enough." She took a sip of her water, thinking. "Maybe you need to take a step back. Try a few things out, get some life experience and maybe then you'll have a better idea of what you want to do? I know seeing how Collins and Collins and Pemberley Digital operated helped me a lot."

Lydia bit her lip self consciously, something Lizzie hadn't seen her do since they were little. "I was kind of thinking that maybe I should leave school for a bit." She looked at Lizzie nervously as though expecting a reaction, but Lizzie just smiled encouragingly. "I mean, like I can finish the classes I'm taking right now, but after that… I don't know, maybe I can move to a big city and work a bit, try to sort out what it is I want."

"Do you have any idea where you think you might want to go?"

"The first thing that comes to mind is here or New York. But that could just be because I miss you and Jane."

Lizzie reached for her sister's hand. "You don't have to figure it all out right now. Once you're back home, talk to mom and dad, and maybe even Mary. Do some research. Think about the kinds of things you think you might want to do and go from there. And anytime you need to talk, you know you can call me."

"Thanks," Lydia relaxed in her chair. "You've gotten better at that, you know?"

"At what?

"At making me feel better," Lydia hesitated. "I never used to feel like you had time for me or wanted me around, and whenever you did give me advice, it always felt like you were judging me."

Lizzie looked away, guilt rising as her sister's words resonated deep within her. Everything Lydia was saying had been true, although Lizzie hadn't realized it back then. She'd always been so sure that she was the one who was right and Lydia was just being a nuisance. "I'm sorry I made you feel that way,"

"It's okay, I didn't say that to make you feel bad. I just mean that it's not like that anymore, and that's nice. It's really nice."

They smiled at each other. "You're right, it is."

LB-LB-LB-LB-LB

The rest of the afternoon passed in a blur of movement, laughter, and adventure, and by the time they returned the apartment, both girls were exhausted.

"Are you sure you don't want to stay one more night?" Lizzie asked Lydia as they flopped onto the sofa to catch their breath.

"You wouldn't mind?" Lydia looked at her hopefully.

Lizzie smiled and shook her head. "Of course not! Today was really nice, and I don't want it to end."

"I think I'd like that." Lydia leaned against Lizzie's shoulder like she used to when they were little girls, and, not for the first time that day, Lizzie felt a pang of nostalgia. "What about Darcy, though. You two were going to spend time together tonight, weren't you?"

"We have lots of time for that. He'll understand." Lizzie nudged her sister playfully. "Besides, we can force him to watch girly movies with us and watch him squirm."

Lydia's eyes widened. "Seriously? Oh my god! Yes! This is going to be awesome." Her stomach growled loudly then, and both girls laughed.

"Perhaps first I should order us a pizza or something?"

"Pepperoni?"

"Of course!"

"Then I'm in!"

"Okay, why don't you go ahead and pick something? I'll be right back." Lizzie slipped from the room and started to rummage through drawers in the kitchen, looking for a delivery menu or a phonebook.

She was looking through her third drawer, which held kitchen linens, when her phone rang suddenly, causing her to jump. A glance at the caller ID informed her that it was William and instantly her face spread into a wide smile.

"William!" she chirped happily, as she opened a fourth drawer, this one filled with extra cutlery. She quickly closed it.

"Hello, Lizzie." His voice sounded tired and weary.

Lizzie paused, giving him her full attention. "Is everything okay?"

"Yes and no. There have been some complications with the arrangements for Gigi's trip to Sanditon on Saturday. Nothing dire, but there is still much to sort out, so I am afraid I will not make it home before nine. I am sorry."

"That's okay. Lydia's going to stay until tomorrow morning now and we were going to force girly movies upon you, so you've foiled our plan and escaped."

William chuckled. "Seems my timing was fortuitous then." His voice suddenly grew muffled and Lizzie could hear voices in the background. The muffled voices stopped and William spoke again. "Sorry about that."

"It's fine. I'll let you get back to work. I'm supposed to be ordering us pizza right now anyway. Hey, do you have a delivery menu somewhere?"

"There's a folder in the drawer of the table in the hallway."

Lizzie spun to face that direction and sighed. Of course it would be in the one place she'd never think of to look. "Thank you!"

"Of course. Gigi just arrived so I should go. You and Lydia enjoy your evening."

"Thanks William. We will. I hope you manage to work everything out."

"I am certain we will. Nothing a few phone calls and a mountain of paperwork can not solve."

"Sounds thrilling."

"Boundlessly. All right. I really must go. Take care, Lizzie."

Before she could respond, the line went dead

_To Be Continued…._

**Note:**

* * *

You may have noticed that I didn't switch into William's POV at any point in this chapter. That was a very deliberate choice because I felt like the focus here needed to be more on Lizzie and Lydia. The next chapter will be in his POV though, so don't worry, there's a lot more William to come!


	8. Chapter 8

**Notes:**

_Hello everyone. First of all, I am so sorry for the delay in the posting of this chapter. RL decided to rear its ugly head recently so I wasn't able to do as much writing as I'd hoped. Good news is you're getting a special Wednesday posting and from Monday we'll be back on track. Trust me, I think you're going to appreciate the shorter wait. Anyway, my apologies for the delay and I hope you enjoy this chapter._

_Special thanks to thegreatsporkwielder for betaing this last minute for me._

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**Chapter 8**

It was past nine o'clock by the time William was finally able to leave the office. He sat in his car in the parking garage for a moment, rubbing his forehead. This latest Sanditon debacle had given him a headache and although they'd managed to sort everything out, it had left him feeling uneasy about Gigi and the Domino project. He knew that she was capable of handling herself, but he was beginning to doubt they'd made the right choice in where to run the beta test. The mayor of the town, Tom Parker, was always incredibly enthusiastic about the endeavour whenever anyone from Pemberley spoke to him, but despite sending him the required waivers and legal documents weeks previously, he had only returned about half of them, resulting in William's need to sort it all out this evening. Thankfully, Tom's assistant, Edward Denham, seemed to have a better handle on things and within an hour of their conversation, he had located the missing paperwork and faxed it to San Francisco.

He sighed heavily and started the car. As he drove away from Pemberley and drew nearer to home, nearer to Lizzie, he felt the stress of his day begin to fade away and by the time he reached the apartment he was feeling calmer, more relaxed. William frowned as he opened the door and found himself surrounded by darkness. Surely Lizzie and Lydia hadn't gone to bed yet? It was still fairly early. A high-pitched giggle floated down from the room above, confirming that they were very much awake, and judging from the laughter, having a great time. He ascended the stairs, noting that the flicker of colour coming from the television was the only light source in the entire apartment.

With a slight shake of his head, William approached, pausing to take in the sight of Lizzie and Lydia curled together on the couch. Lydia had her head resting on Lizzie's shoulder and she looked more at ease than he'd ever seen her. He thought back to the tension he, and the entire internet, had witnessed between them only a few short months before and he contemplated leaving them alone to continue their bonding. He knew how much Lizzie regretted the previous distance that had been between the two sisters, and he didn't want to upset this new closeness they seemed to have found; besides, seeing them like that had made him suddenly yearn for his own sister, which was ridiculous, since he'd just seen her. All the same, he decided that he'd go to his room and call Gigi anyway. She'd be gone soon, after all; they could use some sibling bonding time that didn't involve lawyers and messy paperwork.

He'd started to retreat when Lydia spotted him and sat up, smiling. "Darceface! It's about time you joined us! You're just in time for the best part."

Lizzie paused the movie and started to get up, but William shook his head. "No, stay there. I had not intended to disturb you."

"William, you're not disturbing us!" Lizzie told him, although she relaxed back into the sofa. "Come and watch with us!" She patted the empty cushion on the other side of her. William settled next to her, gratefully accepting the hug she offered him as her arms slid easily around his torso. She rested her chin on his shoulder and looked at him closely. "You look exhausted," she said after a long moment. "You don't have to stay."

He shook his head. "No, but I want to."

Lizzie's face spread into a wide, playful grin. "You're going to regret that decision, I think." She gestured toward the television, which was paused on Tom Hanks' face. "Lydia and I both know this movie by heart, so fair warning, there will be quoting."

"I think you underestimate the number of truly atrocious films Gigi has subjected me to over the years. Besides, 'You've Got Mail' is one of the better films in this genre."

Lydia and Lizzie both gaped at him. "You know what movie this is?" Lydia was incredulous.

"Contrary to popular belief, I do not live under a rock. I am aware of some popular culture."

"Well, I'll be damned!" Lydia was still staring at him, her jaw slack. "You might not be boring after all!"

"Lydia!" Lizzie admonished.

"What? It's true and you know it."

"It's fine, Lizzie. She is right. I am not nearly as interesting as most people."

"I don't think you're boring, I think you're endlessly fascinating." Lizzie's chin was still resting on his shoulder and he was suddenly aware of just how close she was.

His breath caught in his throat. "Lydia, I suggest you look away for a moment."

"Why?"

His eyes were fixed intently on Lizzie's. "Because I need to kiss your sister."

"Gross!" Lydia exclaimed.

In the back of his mind, William noted that her tone was actually amused rather than disgusted, but as he dipped his head toward Lizzie his every thought, every synapse was focused on Lizzie and Lizzie alone. He had intended for it to be a simple kiss, a 'hello' of sorts, but as Lizzie sighed against him, something changed, and all the heat and tension that had been building between them for days suddenly welled up inside him and he deepened the kiss, his tongue probing between her lightly parted lips. Lizzie responded immediately, winding her hands in his hair and tugging him closer as though she were drinking him in. Their kiss grew messy, frantic, and it wasn't until Lydia cleared her throat, loudly, that they remembered where they were. William pulled away, feeling sheepish and guilty. That wasn't how he'd meant that to go.

"I'm sorry," he said quietly.

"What?" Lizzie sounded dazed. She blinked. "You're sorry? What on earth for?"

"I got carried away, that wasn't supposed to be so…" he trailed off hopelessly, unable to find a word in his extensive vocabulary that could adequately describe what had just happened.

"Hot?" Lydia supplied, causing both of them to jump slightly.

William felt his cheeks burning. He couldn't believe he had just kissed Lizzie like that in front of her younger sister. What was he thinking?

"What?" Lydia said as William and Lizzie stared at her. "It was totally hot. Don't deny it."

"I… uh…" William was at a loss for how to respond to that.

Much to his bewilderment, Lydia suddenly burst out laughing and after a moment Lizzie joined her. They were both doubled over with mirth and for the life of him William did not know why. "Oh William, you should see your face right now," Lizzie said as she composed herself.

"Priceless," Lydia added. "Don't worry Darce-face. It takes a lot more than a round of tonsil hockey to scandalize me."

"I…" What was wrong with his brain? Why was he suddenly forgetting words?

"OH MY GOD!" Lydia's voice was louder than he expected and he flinched. "Who knew William Darcy was such a drama queen? Quit worrying and just watch the movie." She hit play.

William watched the screen, trying to focus as Tom Hanks' character arrived at Meg Ryan's apartment with a bouquet of daisies, but it was difficult as Lizzie had leaned against him again and was half sprawled across his chest. Every cell in his body felt as though it were vibrating with unspent energy, and every time Lizzie shifted against him the energy would multiply. William wondered if Lizzie could feel it, too. If she could tell how quickly his heart was beating, how difficult it was for him to breathe, how utterly aware of her he was. If she noticed, Lizzie gave no indication; she was watching the movie, quoting parts, exchanging comments with Lydia here and there. By the time they'd reached the climax of the film, William had given up trying to pay attention to it; instead his every thought, his every focus was on Lizzie and it was taking every ounce of willpower he had ever possessed to refrain from kissing her again and dragging her off to his bedroom to show her just what her proximity was doing to him.

William hadn't even noticed that the movie had ended until Lizzie sat up, moving away from him to hug her sister goodnight. He felt her absence immediately and fought the urge to pull her back to his side. He scoffed at himself. Why was he acting like a hormone-crazed teenager all of a sudden? He was being ridiculous.

"Goodnight, Lydia," he managed to say, proud of the fact that his voice was steady.

"Night, Darce."

Lizzie started to bustle around the room, taking an inordinate amount of time to put the DVD back in its case. Her hands shook as she slid it back onto the shelf, the first indication he'd seen that she was perhaps as rattled as he was. He watched as she took a deep breath before turning to face him, her eyes bright. He stepped toward her, noting the flush of her cheeks, and the shallowness of her breathing. Somehow, seeing that she was as affected as he was, made him feel better, although no less frustrated. If Lydia wasn't in the guest room down the hall, he would have acted without hesitation, but they weren't alone, so such things would have to wait for another day. William swallowed. He needed to say goodnight and put some distance between them before he lost what remained of his control.

Somehow he managed to bend down, kiss her cheek, and pull back. "Goodnight, Lizzie."

Disappointment and something he couldn't place flashed in her eyes at that, but he forced himself to ignore it. If he kissed her properly right now, he wouldn't be able to stop.

He had turned away and was about to escape to his room when Lizzie suddenly reached out and grabbed his hand. He stared down at their clasped hands. Her touch caused the energy from before to return with full force and William felt as though he'd been punched in the gut. What the hell was wrong with him tonight?

"William," Lizzie's voice was soft, and there was a vulnerability in it that made him meet her gaze again even though he knew it was a bad idea.

"Lizzie?"

"I…" she looked down, her hand tensing in his and pulling him back toward her as she sighed. "I know we can't… not with Lydia…" she trailed off and he nodded, indicating that he understood what she meant.

"But?" he prompted, sensing she was going somewhere with this.

"But I really don't want to go to the guest room by myself right now. I can't bear another night of laying awake, knowing you're in the next room and not being able to be near you." Her eyes bore into his again and he was certain she must be able to hear his heart pounding rapidly within his chest. He forced himself to breathe. "Do you think maybe I could sleep in your room tonight?"

William wasn't sure how he managed to remain standing, but somehow he did. "Are you sure that's a good idea?"

"No." Lizzie answered honestly. "It's probably the worst idea ever, but I'd rather be near you than be apart and yearning for you. Does that make sense?"

William considered it. She was right, any contact was better than no contact, but if they did this, well, he was pretty sure he wouldn't be able to sleep, not that he was likely to sleep much anyway, since he'd be thinking about her constantly even if she were in the next room. He'd much rather be able to hold her. "Okay."

"Okay?" Lizzie's eyes had widened in surprise. Had she really expected him to say, no?

"If this is really what you want, then yes, we can do it." He winced at his unintended innuendo. "I mean… uhh… I accept your proposal."

Lizzie laughed. "You're adorable when you're flustered, you know that?"

"Do not tell a soul. It will ruin my 'street cred'."

"Excuse me, did William Darcy just say 'street cred'?"

"I did."

Lizzie snorted. "I can honestly say those are two words I never thought I'd hear you say." She stretched upward and pecked him chastely on the lips. "Don't you worry, Mr. Darcy, your reputation is safe. Although, you're lucky I'm not still doing my video diary because that would be excellent fodder for the internet. They'd eat that up."

"Phew. Glad I dodged that bullet!" William teased, shaking his head.

"It's getting late, we should go to bed." They stared at each other for a moment, the weight of her words and their implication hanging between them.

"We should." William tugged lightly on their joined hands and led her down the hall towards his bedroom.

_To Be Continued…._


	9. Chapter 9

**Notes: **_There is now a chapter count! I've had a major breakthrough in the writing of this fic and in the past few days have written over 10,000 words of it. (Basically I'm nearly done with Chapter 11 at the moment and this is Chapter 9) I've also now worked out a few of the missing details and unless something goes really awry there should be a total of __**21 chapters plus an epilogue!**_

_Huge thank you to __**Booknoser321**__ who betaed this chapter._

* * *

__**Uncharted - Chapter 9**

_This was a terrible idea._ Lizzie thought as she lay facing away from William. She'd shifted so that there was a good foot of space between them, so she wouldn't be so tempted to touch him, but it wasn't helping. She had thought sharing a bed just to sleep would be better than laying awake in the guest bed wishing she could be with him. Yet, being _this _close to him, being able to touch him but not in the way she really _wanted_ to touch him was pure torture. Lizzie yearned to be able to plant kisses along his jaw, to trace a path across his chest, to discover and explore every part of him. She'd been thinking about it almost non-stop for the past few days and she had been an absolute fool to think that being next to him _in his bed _would ease those thoughts. If anything, it had made her thoughts worse; much worse. At least when he wasn't right beside her she couldn't hear him, or smell him, or touch him.

A part of her wanted to just give in. To act on how she was feeling despite the fact that Lydia was just down the hall. It's not like Lydia would be surprised if she found out. Yet some part of Lizzie still clung to the idea that their first time shouldn't happen with her baby sister in the next room. Besides, Lydia was still recovering from her experience with Wickham, and the last thing Lizzie wanted to do was upset her. Lydia would be leaving the next morning and then she and William would be completely alone, and they wouldn't need to wait any longer. One more night. She just had to get through one more night. She was a rational adult. Surely she could manage to wait a mere 24 hours?

Lizzie squeezed her eyes closed as though doing so would somehow eradicate all thoughts of William from her mind. Quite the contrary in fact, for instead she was thrust back into the fantasies she'd been having about him, and her urge to turn and reach out to him, to close the distance between them and give in to her desire, increased tenfold. She groaned internally. What was wrong with her? She'd never been this desperate before. Sure, she enjoyed physical affection as much as the next person, but this was different. It was somehow more; it was all consuming.

"Lizzie? Are you all right?" William whispered, and Lizzie realized that her groan had been audible. Whoops.

She turned, rolling until she was on her side, facing him. He was closer than she'd thought and her nose brushed against his, sending a current of energy through her. This was getting ridiculous. "I was wrong," she confessed. "This was a terrible idea."

"I am certainly not finding it any easier to sleep," William replied, smiling wryly.

Lizzie sighed. "I thought this would make it better. That I wouldn't want you as much if you were here. I'm a fool. If anything I want you more."

William closed his eyes and took a deep breath. He didn't have to say anything for her to know that he was feeling the same way.

"It scares me how much I want to touch you right now," Lizzie whispered honestly.

"Lizzie." William's voice was strained as he reached out to graze her cheek. "Sweet, Lizzie. Wherever did you get the idea that you couldn't?"

Lizzie swallowed. "I'm afraid that if I start I won't be able to let go, that I won't want to stop and Lydia…"

"I know." He edged his face closer to hers until his warm breath was ghosting across her face. Her heart skipped a beat. "But this isn't working. So maybe," he kissed her lightly, "we should," another kiss, "try another approach." He kissed her more persistently this time, and the weight of desire and passion behind it was almost suffocating. For a moment, Lizzie was too overwhelmed to respond, but as William's tongue traced over her lips, her body took over and she kissed him back fiercely, pouring every bit of her frustration and yearning into the action. Somehow, her hand had tangled itself in his hair, while her other hand traced patterns over his chest in the place where his tie would usually be.

They broke apart and stared at each other for a beat before she crushed her lips to his again. This time, Lizzie tried to focus on the sensations, tried to memorize every contour of his mouth while her hands trailed over his back, mapping every muscle, every vertebra of his spine. She placed a line of kisses along his jaw before pressing her mouth to his collar bone, whilst her hands scrambled to undo the buttons on his pyjama top.

William touched her hand, stopping her. "Lizzie, are you sure you want to do this now?"

"I just want to touch you, William. I need to. Avoiding it is just making it worse."

Their eyes locked and in that moment an unspoken agreement passed between them. William smiled. "Okay, but you should know that the feeling is mutual."

Lizzie laughed. "Funnily enough, I'm okay with that."

"In that case -" William sat up, grasped the base of his pyjama top and pulled it over his head. Lizzie's breath hitched and for a long beat she just stared. "Is something wrong?"

"Oh god, no." Lizzie's lips curled upward. "You're gorgeous, you know that?"

William blushed.

Lizzie kissed him quickly then tugged off her own t-shirt. "To be fair," she said by way of explanation before falling back against the pillows and pulling him into another passionate kiss.

LB-LB-LB-LB-LB

William woke up feeling more refreshed and content than he had in quite some time. It took him several minutes to figure out exactly why that was, and it wasn't until Lizzie sighed in her sleep that full awareness of where he was came back to him. He was in his own bed with Lizzie Bennet wrapped in his arms, and the night before they had finally cut through some of the tension that had been building between them for days. They hadn't had intercourse, not yet, but they had kissed and explored each other long into the night before Lizzie had finally given in to her exhaustion cuddled against his bare chest. He had watched her sleep for a while marvelling at the fact that she was actually there, laying in his arms.

There had been a time, not too many months before, when he had thought that might never happen. In fact, after his initial declaration of love for her had gone _so_ badly, he'd been convinced that it was hopeless, especially when he'd watched her videos and seen how much she clearly loathed him. To think that they'd come from there to where they were now was astounding really; it was practically miraculous. Overwhelmed with feelings for Lizzie that had nothing to do with physical attraction and everything to do with how deeply he cared for her, William kissed the top of her head affectionately.

Lizzie stirred, her eyes flickering open. She squinted at him drowsily, her face spreading into a sleepy smile. "William."

"Lizzie." He moved to kiss her properly, but she turned away.

William felt a stab in his chest at the unexpected rejection and quickly closed his eyes, not wanting Lizzie to see his disappointment.

"William," she said softly, her hand against his cheek. "Look at me."

He opened his eyes reluctantly. "That wasn't a rejection." How had she known? "I just… I didn't want… I have morning breath…" she finally said by way of explanation and William found himself laughing.

"You really think I care about that?" He looked at her incredulously. "You are ridiculous."

"I know." Lizzie rested her head against his chest again and idly traced patterns on his torso with her fingers. "This is still new. I'm self-conscious."

"You do not need to be. I lo—, I mean to say, a little halitosis is not going to scare me away." He winced, hoping she had not noticed his near slip up. The last thing he wanted to do was scare her with declarations she wasn't ready to hear.

If Lizzie had heard it, she gave no indication, instead she looked at him fondly. "That's good to know." She shifted so their faces were level again and kissed him. William was in the process of deepening the kiss when Lydia's voice broke through the silence, causing them both to freeze.

"Lizzie?" There was a knock, but to William's relief, it wasn't on his door.

"Oh crap!" Lizzie sat up, pulling the sheet around her, covering herself. "If Lydia finds me in here, she's going to think we…" she gestured between them. "How could I have been so stupid?"

"Lizzie, it'll be fine." William withdrew from the bed and pulled on his robe. "I will take care of it. Give me about two minutes to get her into the kitchen and then you can join us when you're ready."

She rewarded him with a grateful grin and he had to fight the urge to kiss her again. Kisses weren't going to help her right now. He tied his robe and stepped into the hallway just as Lydia was about to open Lizzie's door.

"Good morning, Lydia."

The younger Bennet sister turned to face him. "Oh, hey Darce, I was just about to wake up my sister."

"Give her a few minutes. I am quite certain she will emerge on her own in due time." He gestured toward the kitchen. "Would you like some coffee while we wait?"

Lydia hesitated, then nodded. "Thanks."

LB-LB-LB-LB-LB

After breakfast, William headed off to Pemberley, while Lizzie, and Lydia drove over to Gigi's apartment, with the moving van that still contained all of Lizzie's things. The previous night, in between movies and popcorn, Lizzie and Lydia had decided that instead of Lydia taking the bus back home, she could drive the moving van back and return it so Lizzie wouldn't have to make an extra trip. A phone call to Gigi over breakfast that morning had confirmed that it was fine for Lizzie to move her stuff in a day early.

When the arrived, Gigi greeted them eagerly. She smiled at Lydia, moving to hug her, but paused when Lydia stiffened and took a step back. "Good morning, Gigi," she said in a voice more formal than any Lizzie had ever heard her sister use before.

Gigi seemed a bit rattled by Lydia's aloofness, but she quickly brushed it off as the three of them started to lug Lizzie's boxes into the building. Gigi had cleared a corner in the living room for Lizzie to stack everything for the time being. Lizzie didn't actually have that many belongings, and after barely an hour they were finished and catching their breaths with glasses of iced tea. Lydia finished first, thanked Gigi stiffly then turned to her sister.

"I should probably get going pretty quickly. Mom was freaking out about me driving in the dark so I shouldn't leave too late."

Lizzie rolled her eyes; that sounded about right. "Okay." Lizzie turned to Gigi. "Thank you for letting us do this on such short notice."

"Not a problem. You still okay to meet around noon tomorrow to go over everything before I leave for Sanditon?"

"Absolutely. I'll see you then." Lizzie hugged the younger girl goodbye then followed Lydia to the door.

An uneasy silence had fallen between them as Lizzie drove them back to William's to retrieve Lydia's things. After several failed attempts to engage Lydia in conversation, Lizzie finally asked, "Lydia, what's wrong?"

Lydia was quiet for so long that Lizzie thought she wasn't going to answer so when Lydia spoke, she was surprised. "I'm going to miss you, Lizzie."

Her voice was hollow and vulnerable in a way that was so un-Lydia that Lizzie wished she wasn't driving so she could pull her sister into her arms.

"Hey," she said gently instead. "We can talk on the phone whenever you want, and we can text all the time and even skype sometimes."

"I know, it's just…" Lydia trailed off, staring out the window as the city passed by. "You and Jane are both moving on with your lives, and I feel stuck."

"Lydia, we talked about this. You're going to finish the summer semester and then you'll take a break and try different things to help you decide what you want to do long term."

"Yeah."

Lizzie turned onto William's street and was eternally grateful to see that the parking space behind her car was still open. She turned off the car and turned to her sister, reaching for her hands.

"Listen to me. I know it's scary. I know it's going to be hard, and convincing mom isn't going to be fun. But you have me and Jane and we will back you up in this. We will support you in whatever it is you decide. You're not alone."

Lydia's eyes filled with tears. "I'm not, am I?"

"Just try and get rid of me!" Lizzie made her best 'tough guy' impression, and, as she'd hoped, Lydia laughed.

"I wouldn't dare." She sobered. "The last few days have been nice. It makes me regret—"

Lizzie cut her off. "I know. I feel the same way. But that's in the past and we both know better now. We're not going back."

"You promise?"

Lizzie offered her little finger. "Pinky swear."

"Oh my god, what are we? Five again?" Lydia protested, although she still accepted Lizzie's pinky and linked it with her own.

They got out of the van, and five minutes later, Lydia had thrown her hastily packed bag into the passenger seat and the two sisters were standing on the side walk facing each other, neither of them wanting to be the first to say goodbye.

Finally, Lydia flung herself into Lizzie's arms. "I love you, Lizzie."

Lizzie clung to her, wishing she didn't have to let go. "I love you too, Lydia. Always."

After a long moment, Lydia broke the hug and stepped back, blinking her tears away.

Lizzie offered an encouraging smile and Lydia took a deep breath, gave Lizzie a final, quick hug, and climbed into the van.

Ten minutes later, Lizzie was still standing rooted to the same spot, staring at the empty space where the van, and her sister had been. She'd barely left and already she was missing Lydia. Her phone buzzed then, pulling her out of her sad reverie. She dug in her pocket for it, but by the time she'd extracted it, it had stopped ringing. A glance at the caller-id showed it was one of her potential investors. Lizzie took a shaky breath and reluctantly went inside. There was work to be done and that meant she needed to pull herself back together.

No sooner had she closed the front door, than her phone buzzed again, this time with a text from William.

**- Please refrain from making any plans for tonight**

Lizzie had an inkling about what that was about, but all the same, she texted back:

**- Why? **

**- Because tonight, I would very much like to spend the entire evening, with my girlfriend, alone. **

This made Lizzie smile. She was pretty sure it was the first time he'd called her that, and it was nice. Really nice. Almost as nice as the prospect of the two of them alone with no interruptions. She thought back to the night before, and flushed.

**- I think that can be arranged**

Like she was going to object to the opportunity for them to finally be intimate. She'd been wanting this for days.

**- Good**

** I shall be home at 5:30 **

**- I'll see you then**

Her mood brighter, Lizzie set up her laptop on the dinning room table. There was work to be done; she had a company to launch, phone calls to return, and something to look forward to later. What more could a girl ask for?

_To Be Continued…_

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**Note: **Thank you to everyone who has given me such lovely feedback here, on twitter (** lorelaisquared**) and in my askbox on tumblr (**thelorelaisquared)**. I promise I'm very friendly and always happy to hear from you so if you'd ever like to ask me any questions or anything, please feel free to contact me anytime.


	10. Chapter 10

**NOTES: **

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_Here's chapter 10. Enjoy!_

_Massive thanks to booknoser321 for betaing this chapter!_

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**Uncharted - Chapter 10**

William was in an exceptionally good mood. He'd woken up with Lizzie in his arms that morning, he had finally caught up on his backlog of work at the office, everything was set for Gigi's move to Sanditon, and he had an entire evening alone with Lizzie to look forward to. In fact, things were going so well that he was ready to leave work at 4:30, something that was virtually unheard of. With a spring in his step, he gathered his things and left his office, deciding as he did so that he'd make a few stops on the way home to pick up some things for his evening with Lizzie.

As he walked down the corridor toward the elevators, Fitz stopped him.

"Do my eyes deceive me? Is that William Darcy _smiling_ and leaving the office _early?"_

William paused and grinned at his friend. "Perhaps."

Fitz studied him for a long beat before responding. "I don't remember the last time I saw you this happy. It's nice."

"It is rather pleasant," William agreed.

"So Gigi and I were right to meddle then?"

"I would not say that."

Fitz beamed. "Please. If Gigi and I hadn't given you two a push she'd still be hating you, and you'd still be miserable and alone."

William sighed. "You give yourself entirely too much credit, my friend."

"Whatever. I know I'm right, so that's what matters."

"Anyway, I uh…" William shuffled his feet awkwardly. He enjoyed spending time with Fitz, of course, but right now, he really wanted to get to Lizzie.

"Right. You've got a girlfriend to see. Go! And don't do anything I wouldn't do." Fitz wiggled his eyebrows.

"I shall not even pretend to know what you are implying." William adjusted the grip on his briefcase. "I will see you on Monday."

"Okay. Have a great weekend, Darce. Say hi to Lizzie for me." Fitz called after him as William reached the elevators.

He nodded his head once in acknowledgement and stepped inside, his mind already full of thoughts about Lizzie.

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Lizzie closed her laptop at four, deciding that she'd done enough work for one day. She'd already set up multiple business meetings for the following week, and she'd made some notes about the media project she was thinking of launching with. She'd also finally settled on a name for her company and had done some research on the costs of business cards, letterhead and website design. The numbers were starting to make her head spin, and she had to force herself to swallow the lump in her throat that formed whenever she thought about how much money she didn't currently have to pay for all this stuff.

Massaging a tense spot on her neck, Lizzie decided she'd have a bath so she could relax and let some of the stresses of her day fade before her evening with William. The thought of him made her smile, and as she sank into the warm bubbly water a few minutes later she let her mind wander to the night before. Being with him like that, even though they hadn't actually done anything had felt incredible. She could only imagine what it was going to be like when they didn't feel like they needed to hold back. A nervous flutter in her abdominal region reminded her that it wasn't going be much longer until she wouldn't need to imagine it. The memory of his fingers and lips grazing over her skin the previous night made her shudder, and she closed her eyes, revelling in the sensation.

A knock on the door startled her, and she jolted awake, the now cool temperature of the water alerting her to the fact that she must have fallen asleep.

"Lizzie? Are you in there?" William's voice held a hint of concern. _How long had she been sleeping?_

"Yes, I'm here," she called softly.

The relief in his reply was palpable. "I suspected. Take your time, I just wanted to inform you that I am home early."

"What time is it?"

"Nearly five."

"Okay. I'll be out in a few minutes."

"Please do not feel that you need to rush on my account. I have a few preparations to make."

"Preparations?" Just what exactly was he plotting?

"Nothing you need to be concerned about." Fading footsteps indicated that he'd moved away from the door, so Lizzie didn't bother to respond. Instead, she sank deeper into the water, wetting her hair so she could wash it quickly before going to investigate exactly what it was that William was up to.

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After speaking with Lizzie through the bathroom door, William had to sit down for a moment and compose himself. When he'd realized that Lizzie was in the bath, his imagination had immediately supplied him with images of her stretched out, her hair wet, bubbles not so effectively concealing her. A part of him had been tempted to open the door and ravage her right then and there, but he'd resisted. He wanted their first time together to be special. He knew it was a ridiculously romantic notion that people like Fitz would tease him mercilessly about had they known, but between Lizzie's thesis, living in different cities and various family interruptions, they had waited a long time for this, and after the tenderness and intensity of their encounter the night before, it felt inappropriate to behave rashly. Besides, he reminded himself, his eyes landing on the purchases he'd picked up on his way home, he had plans for tonight.

Feeling more composed, William stood up and began making his preparations. He was halfway through peeling the carrots when he sensed Lizzie approaching.

He turned toward her, his eyes widening in shock and appreciation as he recognized the outfit she was wearing to be the one she'd worn on her birthday, on the day they first kissed. Suddenly overwhelmed by emotions he couldn't put into thoughts, let alone words, William set down the peeler and approached her.

"You look amazing," he told her honestly.

Her eyes were unfathomably bright as she met his gaze, her breath hitching in her throat. "Thank you. I-"

Whatever else it was that she was trying to say was swallowed by his kiss. He felt her surprised gasp against his lips before she willingly surrendered and kissed him back with an intensity he wasn't expecting. By the time they broke the kiss, they both had their hands entwined in each others' hair.

Lizzie pressed her face into his cheek and he could feel her smiling. "Wow."

He held her for a moment, marvelling, not for the first time, over the way her body fit so perfectly against his, as though they were two matching pieces in a puzzle. He supposed in a way, they were. Reluctantly, he pulled away, kissed the top of her head affectionately and returned to the kitchen, where he rescued the chicken he'd been cooking from burning before continuing with the carrots.

He felt Lizzie's eyes on him as he worked, and when he looked up to meet her gaze she was leaning on the other end of the counter, smiling. "You're cooking," she said incredulously after a moment.

"I have been known to do that from time to time," William teased as he started to slice the carrots and toss them into the salad he'd started earlier.

"This is a new side of you, William Darcy." She reached out and stole a slice of carrot.

"You're surprised."

It was a statement as opposed to a question, but Lizzie answered anyway. "A little," she admitted. "I guess I just sort of assumed…"

She trailed off, and he waited expectantly, knowing she'd elaborate in time.

"It's stupid," she said finally, a faint flush painting her cheeks.

"Nothing about you is stupid, Lizzie."

Lizzie sighed. "I just never pictured you cooking. I figured you either ordered in, ate out, or had someone else make it for you." She looked down at her hands, and he could tell she was embarrassed.

William quickly turned off the stove before walking over to where she was. He took both her hands in his and looked directly at her. "There's no need to be embarrassed. It's a logical conclusion given my situation. And to be honest, it's not that far from the truth. My mother taught me how to cook. She felt it was important that I know my way around a kitchen, but after she died, well, for a long time I couldn't bear to even pick up a peeler. It hurt too much because it reminded me of her, and I fear Gigi suffered because of my reluctance. For many years when it was just the two of us, we ate in the manner you expected. It wasn't until Gigi was older and called me out for it that I was able to face cooking again."

Tears were brimming in Lizzie's eyes. "I had no idea," she whispered. "I'm so sorry."

William used his thumbs to gently wipe her cheeks. "It was a long time ago. The truth is, I actually quite enjoy cooking now. It makes me feel closer to my mother, as though a part of her is with me."

"That's beautiful." Lizzie pressed her palm to his cheek. "Thank you for sharing that with me."

"I want to share everything with you, Lizzie, even the difficult things. It just might take time for us to get through them all."

"Well, we have a lifetime to share those things; I'm confident we'll get there."

William froze as her words washed over him. _Lifetime,_ she'd said _lifetime._ He tried not to read too much into it, but the unspoken implication of such a word made his heart feel somewhat lighter. They hadn't yet spoken of the future beyond Lizzie moving to San Francisco and starting her company, yet for weeks now he'd found it impossible to imagine a day when Lizzie would ever not be a part of his life. Spoken or not, he was already imagining a long future with her, and he was pleased to discover that she seemed to be thinking along the same lines. All the same, he decided not to make a big deal about what she had said. Their relationship was still quite new, and they weren't ready to make such promises to each other.

"I am sure you are right." He kissed her cheek and returned to dinner preparations, hoping she hadn't noticed his internal reaction to her words.

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Lizzie exhaled loudly as William walked away, relieved that he hadn't seemed to notice the implications of her words. She hadn't meant to say it like that, although she was surprised to realize that she'd meant it. It didn't matter that they'd only been dating for a few months or that they hadn't even put word to their feelings. Lizzie could already picture them together years from now, holding hands as they watched over the children they had raised together, attending family events, building a life together. It was there, so vividly in her mind already, as though she had already lived it. As much as she wanted that future, however, the depth of her feelings for William terrified her. She was afraid to even think the word love, let alone say it aloud, even though she was pretty sure that was how she felt. It was just too important a word, too significant, and the power it held for him to hurt her, or worse, for her to hurt him, was just too much for her to contemplate just yet. There were too many challenges ahead, too many potential roadblocks that could crop up, and she wasn't quite ready to go there just yet.

"Lizzie, is everything all right?" William's voice broke through her thoughts, and she was startled to see him standing before her again, two plates in his hands.

Blinking, Lizzie nodded and smiled. "Better than all right."

William expression held skepticism but he didn't say anything. Instead, he set their plates down on the table and gestured for her to sit down.

She hadn't noticed it when she'd walked into the room earlier, but he had laid out the table with candles and flowers and what looked like the fanciest china Lizzie had ever seen. It was utterly romantic, and she felt as though her heart were swelling inside her chest. "This is beautiful, William," she managed to say as she sat down.

He poured them each a glass of wine - probably something with a price tag that would make her shudder - and lit the candles before dimming the lights and taking his own seat.

"What kind of flowers are those?" Lizzie asked, pointing to the exotic bouquet in the centre of the table.

"They are orchids. They've always been a favourite of mine. Beautiful and exotic with a tough edge. They reminded me of you."

"They're gorgeous."

"As are you," William voice had turned deep and husky, sending unexpected tingles down Lizzie's spine.

She took a sip of wine, in the hopes that he wouldn't notice her blush.

The rest of the meal passed with a mixture of companionable silence and lively discussion, stolen glances and light touches, and before Lizzie knew it, William was clearing their plates. She followed him into the kitchen, taking a moment to observe him. He moved gracefully, his motions agile and smooth. She admired the way the contours of his muscles shifted as he worked, and her fingers itched to reach out and graze over them.

William must have sensed her watching him, for he suddenly turned to look at her, and something in her gaze must have given her away, because his eyes were suddenly emblazoned with heat she'd only had a glimpse of before now. He took a step toward her, and she inhaled in anticipation. This was it, this was the moment they had both been waiting for, this was the moment when the days and months of sexual tension that had been building between them could finally be acted upon, this was the moment — her thoughts we cut off by the crush of his lips against hers.

Suddenly nothing else mattered. Nothing but the sensation of his tongue tracing the contours of her mouth; his hands pressed to her back, holding him tight against her; the sweet, and now familiar musky scent that was all him. Lizzie whimpered against him, as a rush of sensation coursed through her body, she wanted, no, needed more. Without even realizing she'd done it, Lizzie had tugged the bottom of William's shirt free and was sliding her hands along the bare skin of his back. She felt him shiver, and she wondered, not for the first time, if her touch made him feel as alive, as warm, as his touch made her feel.

He stopped kissing her, and, just as she was about to protest, he began planting small, tender, delicious kisses along her jaw. Lizzie tipped her head back, exposing her neck, and William kissed his way down her neck, along her collarbone. Hot breath grazed her skin, and her knees buckled slightly, but William caught her, his arm around her waist steadying her, keeping her upright. Lizzie clung to him, not wanting this to end, but knowing that logically, they needed to vacate the kitchen.

William found her lips again, and kissed her so deeply, so thoroughly, that for a moment she forgot how to breathe. "Bedroom," she gasped when she could think clearly once more.

Their eyes locked, and William looked just as undone as she felt. Wordlessly he nodded his agreement before stooping down, tucking one arm under her legs and supporting her back with the other, gathered her in his arms before carrying her down the hallway to his bedroom.

_To be continued…_


	11. Chapter 11

**Notes: **

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**_Confession:_**I screwed up. For several chapters now I've been writing about how Gigi was leaving for Sanditon on Saturday, thinking that the little teaser video we got for WTS was posted then. Turns out, she actually posted it on Thursday. Which means my timing was off. Ultimately I've decided to just leave it because so much happened on those days and going back to fix it would basically mean rewriting everything and in the grand scheme of things it doesn't change anything. I just like being accurate. So anyway, **for the purposes of this story, Gigi's first little WTS video was posted on May 11th, 2013.** Aside from that, assume all WTS eps aired as they did in reality. It's not super important since obviously this story is about Lizzie and William, but occasionally what's going on with Gigi might be relevant to them. Also WTS is useful for helping with timing!

Massive, massive thank you to **booknoser321** for her incredibly helpful beta of this chapter. Trust me, you'd be subjected to a plethora of comma errors and grammatically correct text messages without her! :)

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**Uncharted - Chapter 11**

Lizzie woke the next morning feeling more relaxed and content than she had in weeks. She was tucked up against William, her bare back pressed against his chest, his arm draped protectively over her waist. Careful, so as not to wake him, she twisted her body so she was still being held but could now see his face. He didn't stir, and she allowed herself a long moment to study him. His face was serene and relaxed, his lips pressed in a contented smile. There was a boyishness to him in sleep that she'd never noticed in wakefulness and seeing it now endeared him to her even more.

She eased back against her pillow and thought back to the night before. Her skin grew hot as she recalled some of the finer details. It had been even better than she'd imagined it would be, and despite the frustration it had caused, she was glad they had waited. William was an extremely attentive lover, and never had Lizzie felt more appreciated, respected and adored. She had returned his affections in kind and was in fact finding it very difficult not to reach out for him now, to wake him with kisses. Smiling at the thought, she filed the idea away for later; for now it was still early, and she could let him rest. He'd had a long week, and they'd been up rather late the night before.

Instead she revelled in how secure she felt and contemplated the day ahead. Gigi was leaving for Sanditon that afternoon, and she and William were going to go see her off. After that, Gigi's apartment would be hers, and she would have a space of her own to reside in for the first time in her life. Previously, this idea had both frightened and excited her, but now, as she lay ensconced in Williams arms, she felt a bit of regret that she hadn't considered his offer for her to stay with him more seriously. She had pragmatic reasons for wanting to live on her own that she knew were logical and wise, but she couldn't help thinking how nice it would be to wake up like this every morning; to start and end her days with the man that she… _No, _she thought forcefully, _it's too soon for that, isn't it? _

She looked at William again and immediately softened. Was it possible that she loved him already? It had barely been eight weeks since he'd shown up at her parent's house on her birthday. The truth was, Lizzie had never been in love before, and she didn't know what it felt like. She could say with certainty that she cared about William, that she cared about him more than any man she'd ever encountered in her life. Was that love? She knew that she wanted him to be in her life for a long time, that she could picture having a life with him, growing old with him, that the thought of ever losing him made her chest heavy and her heart hurt.

_She was in love with William Darcy._

The truth of it slammed into her, and suddenly Lizzie felt panicked. She needed to talk this out with someone, make sure she wasn't crazy. Taking a deep breath, Lizzie slowly eased herself out of the bed, terrified William would wake up. He shifted as her weight left the mattress, but a second later his body relaxed into slumber again. Relieved, Lizzie grabbed her phone from the night table and slipped from the room.

Perching herself on the sofa, Lizzie stared at her phone for a long moment, contemplating who she should call. It was far too early for Lydia to be awake, and Jane was working a fashion show this weekend so, thanks to the time difference, she'd already be at work. Her decision made, Lizzie dialled Charlotte, the most logical choice.

"Lizzie, what's wrong?" Charlotte's voice was laden with sleep, which was not surprising given it was barely 8am on a Saturday.

"I think I'm in love with William." Lizzie said in a rush before she could chicken out.

"Of course you're in love with him, Lizzie. You've been in love with him for months," Charlotte spoke in her usual, practical tone.

Lizzie frowned. "But how do you know that when I just figured it out for myself. I mean, I think I did. Charlotte, William and I have barely been dating for two months, isn't it too soon for me to love him?"

She could practically hear Charlotte rolling her eyes. "Lizzie, it's not like love has some kind of timeline. Besides, you've known him for a lot longer than that, and I'm pretty sure you came back from Pemberley at least half in love with him."

Lizzie contemplated her friends words. She'd certainly left Pemberley feeling _something, _but love? "But I was only starting to get to know him then."

"Lizzie, I watched you mope for _weeks_ after you came home. You cried yourself to sleep most nights - don't even try to argue, Jane heard you. Anytime anyone mentioned him you would get this look in your eyes - like you'd lost the most precious thing in the universe."

"I had regrets. I definitely liked him, but—"

"Lizzie, why are we even arguing about this?" Charlotte groaned and muttered, "It's way too early for this."

"I'm sorry, you're right. All that isn't important now."

"Exactly. You and Darcy are together now."

"You can call him William, you know."

"Nah, it's too weird." There was a long pause. "So you love him, huh?"

Lizzie smiled. It didn't sound quite as terrifying when Charlotte said it like that. "Yeah. I really do."

"Then why are you still talking to me? Go with the man you love and tell _him_ how you feel."

Panic rose in Lizzie's chest again. "No! I don't think I'm ready for that. I… it's still new."

"New as in three months ago," Charlotte muttered.

"Charlotte!" Lizzie cried, exasperated, "Let's not go through this again. You might have realized this already, but it's new to_ me_ okay? I need to process this a bit more before I'm ready to share."

"I can respect that."

"Thank you. Now go back to sleep, I'm sorry for waking you."

"It's fine." Charlotte yawned. "And Lizzie?"

"Yeah?"

"You're welcome."

Lizzie hung up. She pursed her lips thoughtfully for a moment before quickly typing out a text to Lydia.

**- Hey lil sis, glad you got home ok**

** tell mom and dad hi**

** ps im in love with william**

Pleased with how much easier it was getting to say, Lizzie made her way back to the bedroom and was pleased to see that William was still asleep. She smiled. It was definitely time to try that kissing him awake thing.

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William was having the most realistic dream. Lizzie was there, and she was kissing him so tenderly, as though he were the most precious thing on the earth. He groaned and cracked his eyes open, expecting the vision to fade, but instead it intensified as his eyes met hers. The kissing stopped and she smiled at him.

"Good morning, sleepyhead," she murmured, planting a soft kiss on his nose.

"Are you real?" William asked stupidly, his brain still not quite awake.

Lizzie laughed. "Of course I'm real, William."

"I am sorry. I was just…" he trailed off as his thoughts drifted back to his dream.

"William Darcy, were you dreaming about me?"

His cheeks grew hot.

"You're blushing!" Lizzie grinned and touched her lips lightly to the side of his face. "You. Are. Adorable. When. You're. Embarrassed," she said between kisses. She stopped at his lips, and met his gaze for a moment. The intensity and depth of emotions that he could see in her eyes caused a lump to form in his throat.

Lizzie kissed him then, hot, feverish kisses that made every nerve in his body tingle. He smiled against her mouth before slowly dragging his tongue against her bottom lip. She shivered against him, and he carefully flipped them over, returning every fervent kiss with a heartfelt and impassioned one of his own.

Once they were both, breathless, satisfied and spent, he lay back against his pillow, watching her.

"What brought on that wake up call?" William teased when they had both caught their breath.

"I…" Lizzie hesitated, and he could see she was grappling with something internally. It was obvious it was something she wasn't ready to share, so he let it go, filing it away for another day.

"It was nice," he told her instead, happy to see the panicky look in her eyes fade when she realized he wasn't going to press her for explanations.

She smiled. "It was. Although, you're very peaceful and content in your sleep. It was almost a shame to wake you."

William's stomach growled suddenly, causing them both to laugh.

"Well, I think that is a portent. It is time for breakfast." He started to get out of bed, but Lizzie was gaping at him. "What is it?"

"Portent?"

He nodded. "Yes. Like an omen or a sign."

"I know what it means," Lizzie began to giggle, "It's just that most people would not use it the way you just did."

"Well…" he trailed off, not quite sure how to respond to that. "I am unique," he finally added.

Lizzie's giggle became a full-blown laugh. "That you are, William Darcy, that you are!"

He picked his pyjamas up from the floor and pulled them on, then wrapped his robe around himself before offering a hand to Lizzie and tugging her off the bed. They entered the kitchen hand in hand, their fingers still twined around each other as he started the coffee. Lizzie continued to cling to his hand as she pulled two bowls down from the cupboard and filled them with cereal. Suddenly overcome with emotion at the sweetness of the moment, William tugged her hand gently and brought it to his lips. He sensed her watching him closely as he kissed her knuckles, then the top of her hand, before meeting her gaze and gently pulling her against his chest, and dipping his head to kiss her lips.

The kiss was sensuous and delectable, and William lost himself in it, drinking her in, thinking that he could kiss her like this forever and never stop. Who needed air when there was Lizzie Bennet to kiss?

The timer on the coffee pot beeped, startling them both, and he pulled away reluctantly to tend to it though their hands remained joined.

"How was your lunch with Gigi yesterday?" Lizzie asked a few minutes later when they were sitting side by side at the table with full bowls of cereal and coffee in front of them.

"It was great," William smiled at the memory. "We went to one of Gigi's favourite restaurants. It is this tiny little Mexican Place in the Mission District. It doesn't look like much from the outside, but the food is superb and the owners, Marianna and Jose, make it all themselves. I had not been there in a long time."

"That sounds divine." Lizzie studied her cereal thoughtfully. "How was Gigi? Is she looking forward to Sandition?"

"I think so, yes. She seems a bit nervous about it, but I would not send her if I did not think she could handle herself. We have arranged for her to use the Domino app to send me regular updates every Monday in the hopes that it will encourage the residents of the town to use the program. I am not sure how it will work, but we will see."

"Did you warn her that many of the fans of my video diary are aware of the project and will probably be paying attention to anything Pemberley posts?"

William chuckled. "I did not. But you can tell her when we go by in a bit."

Lizzie took a sip of her coffee and looked at him with a wry smile pressed to her lips. "I bet you anything they'll pester her relentlessly for news about us."

William winced, recalling some of the responses he had read on her YouTube channel. Lizzie's viewers were voracious in their interest in her relationship with him. He thought it was sweet, though also a little frightening and overwhelming. Not for the first time, he was grateful she had chosen to stop filming them.

"How are things going with your company? You said you got quite a bit done yesterday?"

"Oh! Yes. I decided on a name, finally." Her entire face spread into a mischievous grin. "What do you think of _Bowtie Media_?"

William stared at her for a moment, stunned at just how perfect it was, though slightly abashed at the obvious reference to him. "I think it suits you."

"Thank you. I'm hoping to find an inexpensive graphic artist to make a logo for me. I was thinking it could have the name in between an image of a newsie hat and a bowtie and the bowtie could perhaps spin. I'm not sure how feasible it is, but we shall see."

"It sounds delightful." William was pleased to see her excited about her company. "I'm sure you will find an appropriate contact to help you with that."

"I'm sure I will."

William finished eating and leaned back in his chair slightly so he could properly admire Lizzie as she finished her own breakfast. The morning light filtering in through the parted dining room curtains cast an aura over her making it appear as though she were glowing. William was certain he had never seen anything more lovely.

Lizzie seemed to sense that his full attention was on her, and she smiled shyly down at her plate for a moment before turning back to look at him. She swallowed visibly. "You're going to spoil me if you keep giving me looks like that, William Darcy."

"Then consider yourself spoiled because I can not imagine a day when I will gaze upon your visage and not be awed."

Lizzie blinked. "Despite the fact that you sound as though you've just stepped out of a Victorian novel, I'm flattered."

"As well you should be, Lizzie Bennet," William told her as he leaned in, pausing just before their lips touched, "As well you should be." Then he kissed her deeply, trying to convey the intensity of the emotions swirling inside him.

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Lizzie was practically bursting with happiness when she and William arrived at Gigi's apartment a few hours later. Their morning had been incredible - romantic, sweet, and alarmingly domestic. They had both been reluctant for it to end, but they had promised Gigi they'd see her off.

"Oh, thank god you're here!" Gigi cried, pulling them both into a hug as she opened the door. "I just spent an hour searching for my car keys and I still need to load the car and —"

"Gigi, slow down!" William placed his hands on her shoulders gently.

Lizzie watched as the younger girl closed her eyes and inhaled slowly, calming herself. She opened them again and smiled, looking much more relaxed and herself. "I'm sorry. It's been a bit of a rough morning."

"It's fine." Lizzie gestured to the room. "What can we do to help?"

The three of them spent the next half hour searching every inch of Gigi's apartment for her keys, finally unearthing them from the inner recesses of a shoe in her hall closet.

"They must have fallen when I got home last night," Gigi acknowledged, accepting them from Lizzie's outstretched hand. "Thank you so much for finding them."

"No problem."

"We should load everything now," William suggested, "and then we can have a cup of tea before you have to go."

Gigi nodded. "Okay. That works."

It didn't take them long to fit Gigi's suitcases and assorted belongings into her car, and soon they were all settled in her living room sipping from mugs of steaming tea.

Gigi blew on hers, before looking over the rim of her cup at her brother. "I'm gonna miss you."

She said it so softly that Lizzie had to strain to hear her. William set his mug down, careful to place it on a coaster, and leaned toward his sister, his voice low. "I will miss you, Georgiana." He brushed her hair out of her eyes, and Lizzie felt a tug in her chest at the protective nature of the gesture. She felt like she was intruding, but the apartment was so small there was nowhere for her to go, so she took a sip from her own mug, to distract herself.

Gigi's voice was stronger when she next spoke, and without looking Lizzie suspected that she was sitting up straighter. "I won't let you down, William."

"I never thought that you would." He sounded genuinely surprised.

"I want to make you proud, make Mom and Dad proud." Gigi's voice cracked a little as she spoke of their parents.

"Gigi," Willam said warmly. "You have always made us proud." Lizzie heard him swallow hard. "I wish they could see you right now, see the woman that you've become. I know that if they could they would tell you how amazing you are. I have absolute faith in you."

Lizzie looked up to see Gigi offering her brother a shaky smile before he pulled her into a warm hug. When they pulled apart, Gigi stood and said, "Well, I guess I should get going. It's a long drive, and I'd like to get there before dark."

William rose and pulled her into another hug, kissing the top of her head. "Drive safe, and call once you've checked in."

"I will." Gigi slipped from his arms and approached Lizzie, arms wide. Her embrace was firm and friendly. "You look after my brother, okay? Don't let him get too stuck in that brilliant head of his."

"I promise to do my best," Lizzie agreed, hugging her back.

"Good." She pulled back and smiled at Lizzie. "You're good for him, you know. He's much less boring now that you're around."

Lizzie laughed. "Thanks, I think."

"Just trust me on this one." Gigi slipped her purse over her shoulder and picked up her keys. "Okay, well." She waved at them awkwardly. "I'll talk to you soon."

Lizzie walked over to William, slipping her hand into his and squeezing it lightly as they stood side by side and watched Gigi go.

"She's going to be just fine," Lizzie assured him.

He nodded and gripped her hand more tightly. "I know."

LB-LB-LB-LB-LB

Several hours later, William sank into his sister's couch, every muscle in his body aching. He watched as Lizzie disassembled her final moving box and tucked it neatly into the pile with the others. They had spent the afternoon following his sisters' departure rearranging the furniture and unpacking Lizzie's things.

He was amazed at how different it looked now, and how quickly they had managed to get everything done. In just a few short hours they had transformed Gigi's dining area and part of her living room into a makeshift office for Lizzie's company. She now had everything she needed to get her work done, and William had every confidence that she would be making strides in no time. He knew from experience that there was a steep learning curve in situations such as this one, but he also knew, after over a year of observing Lizzie, that she would manage it with grace and dignity.

Lizzie disappeared into the kitchen, returning a moment later with two glasses of water and a take out menu. He accepted the beverage gratefully and waited for her to settle in next to him before placing an arm over her shoulders and leaning back, contented.

"I thought we could order in," Lizzie told him as she nestled her head against his torso and held up the menu. "I don't know about you, but I am far too tired to cook."

Taking the menu from her, he opened it, and pointed out a few of his favourite dishes. After a bit of discussion they decided on what they wanted, and William called it in.

"It'll be here in about thirty minutes," he informed her.

"We could start a movie while we wait?" Lizzie suggested.

"Actually, I was thinking I could give you your housewarming present."

Lizzie sat up and flashed him a surprised look. "I didn't expect you to get me anything. It's not necessary."

"It is customary to welcome people to their new home with a gift." William stood up and adjusted his shirt. "I left it in the car so I shall go retrieve it now."

As he made his way down to the car alone, he tried not to think about how he'd be leaving here alone in a few hours. As much as he respected Lizzie's choice to live independently, the thought of not waking up next to her each day the way he had the past two days made him ache. He liked having Lizzie around and even though she'd only stayed in his apartment for a few days, it already felt like she belonged there. He was not looking forward to returning to it without her.

A few minutes later, her housewarming gift in his arms, William stood outside the apartment and squared his shoulders, composing himself before opening the door.

"This is for you," he said smoothly, holding it out for her.

Lizzie's face spread into a smile as she recognized the plant he handed her. "You're giving me the orchids from last night?"

"Yes. They were always for you."

"Thank you. They're beautiful." The warmth in Lizzie's eyes as she gazed up at him made him feel a rush of renewed affection for her.

"Not nearly as beautiful as you," William whispered.

Lizzie placed the orchid carefully in the center of the coffee table, then closed the distance between them, wrapping her arms around his neck and standing on her tiptoes. She kissed him lingeringly, almost lazily, leaving him wanting more.

She dragged her fingers over his tie, stroking it with such care it made him want to drag her off to the bedroom immediately so he could return the caress. Before he could even contemplate following through on the thought, however, their dinner arrived.

LB-LB-LB-LB-LB

Lizzie noticed that William was quieter than normal as they ate dinner. She could tell that something was on his mind but she figured he was probably just missing his sister and she didn't want to press him. He would talk to her if and when he was ready, of that she was certain. Besides she was grateful for the silence as she was being bombarded with thoughts of her own.

As much as she wanted to be independent and live on her own, she was missing William's apartment already. Something about it felt like home, and despite having put her own touch on Gigi's apartment, she just didn't feel as comfortable here. It was fine now, while she was here with William, but she was dreading the inevitable moment when he would have to leave to go back to his own place. After two nights in a row sleeping in his bed, tucked comfortably in his arms, she wasn't looking forward to sleeping alone.

Her phone vibrated, bringing her back to the present, and she quickly glanced at it, only picking it up when she saw that it was a text from Lydia.

**- mom's following me around**

** i think she misses u**

** ps well duh! of course u love him **

** its totes obvs**

She glanced at William, before responding.

"Lydia," she said by way of explanation.

He nodded. "Of course. I trust she made it home safely?"

Lizzie looked up from the text she was typing, hoping he wouldn't notice the flush of her cheeks. "She did. Mom's already driving her crazy."

"So everything's perfectly normal?"

"Something like that." Lizzie finished typing her message and pressed send.

**- So Char tells me**

** sorry about mom she'll get used to it**

Lydia's response was immediate.

**- how r u only figuring this out now?**

** even MARY noticed!**

** moms already planning ur wedding**

**- Ugh. Seriously? **

** I'm so sorry**

**- WHATEVZ **

** im working on my escape plan**

**- Oh? **

**- yep im even being nerdy & doing research**

**- You? **

**- YOLO**

** plus info = power**

** if i bombard mom with facts she wont object**

**- a good theory but moms crafty!**

** let me know if you need any help**

**- i will**

** so r u done freaking out about being in 3 w darceface**

** (which ewwww btw) **

**- Maybe? IDK? Im still processing**

** (Ew? really? what are we 5?)**

**- don't take 200000000000000 yrs **

** (u 2 were ALL over each other - it was TOTES GROSS udek)**

**- You just rolled your eyes at me, didn't you?**

**- sooooooooooo not the pt**

**- Lydia!**

**- WAT? I no u **

** u over think EVERYTHING**

** sometimes u just need to DO **

**- My thoughts keep me sane ok?**

**- DORK!**

**- I should go. I love you**

**- ILY2**

** Have fun w darceface & u know, maybe tell him hi 4 me**

**- k**

** goodnight Lydia**

**- goodnight**

** LYDIA OUT!**

Lizzie laughed as she put her phone away. "Sorry about that."

"It is fine. Family is important." He held up his own phone. "Gigi just texted to say she arrived in Sanditon and is settled in."

"Oh good. I'm glad. Did you tell her we liked her video from earlier today?"

William nodded. "Of course. She said she's already getting a lot of enthusiastic comments from your fans."

Lizzie laughed. "I forgot to warn her."

"I think she figured it out on her own." William reach for her empty plate and took it to the kitchen.

Lizzie followed him. She picked up a towel and dried their plates when he finished washing them.

"William?" she asked hesitantly after putting the dishes away.

He hung the wet dishcloth over the faucet and turned to face her. "Yes Lizzie? What is it?"

Before she could lose her nerve, she took a step toward him and held out her hand. "Do you think, maybe, you could stay here tonight?"

The smile that spread across his face caused every one of her doubts to fade away. He gripped her hand and gently tugged her closer. "I would like nothing better."

_To Be Continued…_

**Note: **

* * *

So I thought it might be fun to do a sort of Q&A regarding my writing process for this story and some of the choices that I've made with this fic and basically anything else you'd like to know about me or my writing. (Doesn't have to just be this story even - I'm happy to share my writing process in any context)

Send me your questions one of these 3 ways:

1) tweet your question to lorelaisquared with the hashtag #unchartedQA  
2) submit your question to my tumblr askbox (anon is allowed) (thelorelaisquaredDOTtumblrDOTcom/ask)  
3) leave a comment on this chapter with your question

Sometime in the next two weeks I'll answer as many as I can and post them to my tumblr. If you don't follow my tumblr, don't worry, I'll be sure to include a link to the answers in an authors note in a future update so you won't miss them.


	12. Chapter 12

**_Notes: _**

* * *

So you'll notice pretty quickly that this chapter is a bit different than the rest. As in, there is no prose at all. There are several reasons for this, but the biggest one is that when I tried to cover what needed to be covered here in prose it ended up being a lot of boring exposition and it just wasn't flowing. I confess that trying it in epistolary form like this was inspired by Lulabo's recent fic, Many the Miles (Which you should go read immediately if you haven't already, it's utterly amazing and brilliant and full of feels! I think it's only on AO3 - archiveofourown . org (slash) works (slash) 992380 I'll wait!).

As always I need to thank **booknoser321** for her excellent betaing. I also would like to thank **erinwert** for her extremely helpful feedback on parts of this chapter. I have another thank you to give as well, but that one will be at the end as I don't want to spoil things.

PS - on account of this site's rules against symbols, I had to add extra spaces and things to email addresses and such in this chapter. Sadly that takes away from the realism of it a bit, but there's not much I can do about that here. If you'd like to see how it should look, I write under the same name as here over on AO3.)

Enjoy! :)

* * *

**From:** ggdarcy at pemberleydigitial . com

**To:** wmdarcy at pemberleydigital . com

**Date:** 12 May 2013 17:32

**Subject: **Tomorrow's Video

**Attachments: **WTS01 . mp4

Hi William,

You said you wanted to double check the Domino interface before we go live tomorrow so here's the video file in case you want the technical team to make any changes. The residents of Sanditon seem excited about the project so far - many of them have signed up for twitter since I arrived and are talking about it a lot; so I take that as a good sign.

I hope Lizzie settled in to the apartment okay. I'm sorry I had to leave so quickly, I would have liked to have visited with you both more.

I miss you,

Gigi

**May 13, 2013 12:08 PM**

**Text Message: **Charlotte to Lizzie

- Did you tell him?

**May 13, 2013 12:10 PM**

**Text Message: **Lizzie to Charlotte

- Tell him what?

**May 13, 2013 12:11PM**

**Text Message: **Charlotte to Lizzie

- That you love him, dummy

**May 13, 2013 12:12 PM**

**Text Message: **Lizzie to Charlotte

- Oh

No

Not yet

**May 13, 2013 12:13 PM**

**Text Message:** Charlotte to Lizzie

- What are you waiting for?

**May 13, 2013 12:14 PM**

**Text Message:** Lizzie to Charlotte

- Not sure

**May 13, 2013 12:15 PM**

**Text Message: **Charlotte to Lizzie

- You okay? You're not your usual perky self

**May 13, 2013 12:17 PM**

**Text Message:** Lizzie to Charlotte

- Sorry, major investors presentation in like 10 minutes

trying not to freak out

**May 13, 2013 12:18 PM**

**Text Message:** Charlotte to Lizzie

- Good luck!

Smith, Peters & Co.

Allison Peters

Suite 103 − 607 Battery Street

San Francisco, CA 94111

May 14, 2013

Miss Elizabeth Bennet

1124 Green Street

San Francisco, CA 94109

Dear Miss Bennet,

It was an absolute delight to meet with you yesterday. Your ideas are promising and you clearly have a solid understanding of digital media and its potential.

As such, we here at Smith, Peters, & Company would like to invest in Bowtie Media on the condition that your first content be released no later than the end of July so that we may promote it at Vidcon in August. I trust, given our discussion yesterday, that this will be feasible?

Enclosed are the documents I had our lawyer draw up detailing the terms of our agreement and the monetary amount we are willing to invest at this time.

Please look them over, sign, and return them at your earliest convenience.

Sincerely,

Allison Peters

Media Consultant

Smith, Peters, & Co.

**May 14, 2013 9:43 AM**

**Text Message:** Lizzie to Jane, Lydia, Charlotte,

- JUST GOT AN INVESTMENT OFFER!

im in shock!

is this real?

**May 14, 2013 9:46AM**

**Text Message: **Jane to Lizzie, Lydia, Charlotte

- That's fantastic Lizzie!

I'm SO proud of you

**May 14, 2013 9:58 AM**

**Text Message:** Lizzie to William

- What does ex gratia mean?

**May 14, 2013 9:59 AM**

**Text Message: **Charlotte to Lizzie, Lydia, Jane

- I take it your presentation yesterday went well, then?

**May 14, 2013 10:00 AM**

**Text Message: **Lizzie to Charlotte, Jane, Lydia

- Very well!

**May 14, 2013 10:05 AM**

**Text Message: **William to Lizzie

- In literal translation, ex gratia means "out of grace".

Legally, it means without obligation, so there is no requirement to return what is given or for the giver to do anything more.

**May 14, 2013 10:07 AM**

**Text Message:** Lizzie to William

- That helps, thanks

**May 14, 2013 10:08 AM**

**Text Message: **William to Lizzie

- Does this mean that you have an investor?

**May 14, 2013 10:09 AM**

**Text Message:** Lizzie to William

- It does!

**May 14, 2013 10:10 AM**

**Text Message:** William to Lizzie

- Congratulations!

We shall have to go out tonight and celebrate.

**May 14, 2013 10:11 AM**

**Text Message:** Lizzie to William

- That sounds great!

OMG!

**May 14, 2013 10:12 AM**

**Text Message:** William to Lizzie

- Lizzie? What is it?

**From: **JRobbins at gmail . com

**To:** thelizziebennet at gmail . com

**Date:** 14 May 2013 10:10

**Subject: **Bowtie Media

Dear Lizzie,

After much deliberation and discussion with my business partner and in light of our meeting with you and other potential investors yesterday, we have decided that we would like to support your company in its endeavours.

The contract outlining our terms is being couriered to you. Please let us know if you have any concerns, otherwise, sign and return them so we can make the necessary financial transfers.

Sincerely,

Jamie Robbins

Director of Operations

Westcore Enterprises

**May 14, 2013 10:15 AM**

**Text Message:** William to Lizzie

- Lizzie?

**May 14, 2013 10:17 AM**

**Text Message:** Lizzie to William

- SORRY!

distracted by a SECOND offer

**May 14, 2013 10:20 AM**

**Text Message:** William to Lizzie

- That is phenomenal!

We are definitely celebrating tonight.

**May 14, 2013 10:25 AM**

**Text Message: **Lizzie to William

- Doorbell! That will be the courier with the contracts

**May 14, 2013 10:26 AM**

**Text Message: **William to Lizzie

- Would you like me to have my lawyers look them over for you?

**May 14, 2013 10:30 AM**

**Text Message: **Lizzie to William

- I appreciate the offer but I'm okay

Thank you

**May 14, 2013 10:32 AM**

**Text Message:** William to Lizzie

- Anytime. I will leave you to read.

I shall talk to Fitz and will text you about our evening plans later.

**May 14, 2013 10:43 AM**

**Text Message: **Lydia to Lizzie, Charlotte, Jane

- OMG! LIZZIE THAT IS AMAZEBALLS AND AWESOME

**May 14, 2013 10:44 AM**

**Text Message: **Lydia to Lizzie

UGH! was in the most BORING class EVAR

the teacher makes us turn off our phones

its INHUMANE

is that even LEGAL?

**May 14, 2013 10:45 AM**

**Text Message: **Lizzie to Lydia

- you are there to learn

BTW I got a SECOND offer

** May 14, 2013 10:47 AM**

**Text Message:** Lydia to Lizzie

- ADSKJFAKLS;DJFAKL;SDJFKL;ASDJFAKL;

YOU ARE LIZZIE BENNET BADASS SUPER BUSINESS CHICK

**May 14, 2013 10:49 AM**

**Text Message: **Lizzie to Lydia

- HAHA thanks

** May 14, 2013 10:50 AM**

**Text Message:** Lydia to Lizzie

- U tell mom and dad?

**May 14, 2013 10:51 AM**

**Text Message:** Lizzie to Lydia

- No

ill call later

when im done reading CONTRACTS

**May 14, 2013 10:52 AM**

**Text Message: **Lydia to Lizzie

- god that sounds totes scary and adult

**May 14, 2013 10:53 AM**

**Text Message:** Lizzie to Lydia

- It IS!

OMG there's someone at the door. WHAT NOW?

**May 14, 2013 10:54 AM**

**Text Message:** Lydia to Lizzie

- GTG meet Mary now

Call me l8r k?

**From: **thelizziebennet at gmail . com

**To: **CharlotteLu at cnc . com

**Date:** 14 May 2013 11:22 AM

**Subject: **What is my life?

**Attachments:** clause3 . doc

OMG Charlotte, this day is out of control crazy and it's not even noon yet! So yesterday I met with five potential investors to give them this big presentation about Bowtie Media and my vision for it, and already today TWO of them sent me written investment offers. Then, like twenty minutes ago, another one showed up in person with an offer.

I keep pinching myself because I think I might be dreaming. Is this actually happening? Charlotte, when did this become my life? I keep waiting for something terrible to happen because this is too amazing to be true!

So, two of them are basically just monetary investments - they have a few terms regarding release dates and things but they'll be pretty hands off. The third one wants to be more actively involved in the decision making process and stuff, but he's also offering the most financial backing so I suppose that's good? I don't know. Any tips for your bestie since you're like a super expert in this stuff now?

Anyway, I'm attaching a scan of one of the clauses in the contract for your opinion before I sign and send it back.

I'm going to go try to concentrate now. If anything else happens today I seriously think my brain might explode!

3

Lizzie

**May 14, 2013 1:21 PM**

**Text Message: **William to Lizzie

- Fitz is taking us to the Castro but won't specify where

We will pick you up from Gigi's at 6:30

I trust that will work for you?

**May 14, 2013 1:22 PM**

**Text Message: **Lizzie to William

- Yes that's perfect!

I'll see you then :)

**May 14, 2013 1:52 PM**

**Text Message: **Gigi to Lizzie

- OMG! I just heard about your investors!

CONGRATS!

**May 14, 2013 1:53 PM**

**Text Message:** Lizzie to Gigi

- Thanks, Gigi

its terrifying and exciting at the same time

hows Sanditon?

**May 14, 2013 1:52 PM**

**Text Message:** Gigi to Lizzie

- Odd

but good

I'm making friends I think

**May 14, 2013 1:55 PM**

**Text Message:** Lizzie to Gigi

- I'm glad

**May 14, 2013 1:57 PM**

**Text Message:** Gigi to Lizzie

- Warning - don't let Fitz give you anything blue tonight

it'll taste great but you'll regret it in the morning

**May 14, 2013 1:59 PM**

**Text Message: **Lizzie to Gigi

- Haha

noted

**May 14, 2013 3:30 PM**

**Text Message:** Lizzie to Jane

- I've signed everything

THIS IS OFFICIALLY HAPPENING

OMG

**May 14, 2013 3:35 PM**

**Text Message:** Jane to Lizzie

- I'm so proud of you

Did you call home?

**May 14, 2013 3:37 PM**

**Text Message:** Lizzie to Jane

- ugh

not yet

**May 14, 2013 3:39 PM**

**Text Message: **Jane to Lizzie

- What are you afraid of?

Mom'll be thrilled and Dad'll be so proud of you

**May 14, 2013 3:40 PM**

**Text Message: **Lizzie to Jane

- What if everything goes wrong?

I don't wanna get their hopes up only to dash them with my failure

**May 14, 2013 3:41 PM**

**Text Message: **Jane to Lizzie

- That's not going to happen

**May 14, 2013 3:42 PM**

**Text Message**: Lizzie to Jane

- You don't know that

**May 14, 2013 3:43 PM**

**Text Message: **Jane to Lizzie

- True, but even if something did happen they'd still love you and support you

So will I

**May 14, 2013 3:44 PM**

**Text Message: **Lizzie to Jane

- fine

Ill call

**May 14, 2013 4:05 PM**

**Text Message: **Lizzie to Lydia

- you might wanna wait to go home

**May 14, 2013 4:06 PM**

**Text Message: **Lydia to Lizzie

- u told mom?

**May 14, 2013 4:07 PM**

**Text Message**: Lizzie to Lydia

- I did

She shrieked

**May 14, 2013 4:08 PM**

**Text Message:** Lydia to Lizzie

- o god

**May 14, 2013 4:09 PM**

**Text Message: **Lizzie to Lydia

- I think it was a good shriek

WARNING - matchmaking attempts will prob increase

she went on about how Jane and I are successful and in happy relationships and now its your turn

**May 14, 2013 4:10 PM**

**Text Message: **Lydia to Lizzie

- seriously?

YIKES

im totes staying at marys 2night

**May 14, 2013 4:11 PM**

**Text Message: **Lizzie to Lydia

- Good plan

**From: **CharlotteLu at cnc . com

**To: **thelizziebennet at gmail . com

**Date:** 14 May 2013 4:22 AM

**Subject: **RE: What is my life?

**Attachments:** clause3edited . doc

Hi Lizzie,

I'm sorry it took me so long to get back to you. Mr. Collins had an emergency up in Winnipeg and I had to Skype him for hours to help sort it out. I'm exhausted now.

So much exciting news for you today though! WOW! I'm very happy for you. You've worked hard for this, and I'm glad other people can see just how talented you are.

It's not completely unusual for a financial backer to want to be involved in part of the process, but I would try to be very clear about what your expectations are and what your limitations are. It's YOUR company so at the end of the day, you're the bottom line.

It's probably too late now but I made a few notes for you regarding the clause you sent. I hope it helps.

I'm going to go collapse somewhere until it's time to go home. I'm wiped!

Char

**May 14, 2013 11:43 PM**

**Text Message:** Lizzie to Lydia

- jus drank blue oops

**May 14, 2013 11:44 PM**

**Text Message:** Lydia to Lizzie

- WAT?

**May 14, 2013 11:45 PM**

**Text Message:** Lizzie to Lydia

- celgvbratin

**May 14, 2013 11:46 PM**

**Text Message:** Lydia to Lizzie

- OMG R U DRUNK?

**May 14, 2013 11:47 PM**

**Text Message: **Lizzie to Lydia

- no

mabte

matve

**May 14, 2013 11:48 PM**

**Text Message: **Lydia to Lizzie

- riiiiiiight

**May 14, 2013 11:49 PM**

**Text Message: **Lizzie to Lydia

- Nit drujnk lysia

**May 14, 2013 11:50 PM**

**Text Message: **Lydia to Lizzie

- put ur phone away sis go dance with Darceface or sthg

**May 14, 2013 11:51 PM**

**Text Message: **Lizzie to Lydia

- cant

migt tell him

**May 14, 2013 11:52 PM**

**Text Message:** Lydia to Lizzie

- tell him what?

**May 14, 2013 11:53 PM**

**Text Message: **Lizzie to Lydia

- lllove him

**May 14, 2013 11:54 PM**

**Text Message:** Lydia to Lizzie

-where is he now?

**May 14, 2013 11:55 PM**

**Text Message: **Lizzie to Lydia

- over there

**May 14, 2013 11:56 PM**

**Text Message:** Lydia to Lizzie

- u know I cant see u right?

**May 14, 2013 11:57 PM**

**Text Message: **Lizzie to Lydia

- shhh

**May 14, 2013 11:59 PM**

**Text Message:** Lydia to Lizzie

- calling

u better answer

**May 14, 2013 11:59 PM**

**Text Message: **Lizzie to Lydia

- k

**From:** rebeccam at bbdesigns . com

**To:** thelizziebennet at gmail . com

**Date:** 16 May 2013 10:52 AM

**Subject: **Your Logo

**Attachments:** bowtiemedia1 . jpg

bowtiemedia2 . jpg

bowtiemedia3 . jpg

Dear Miss Bennet,

I've attached three potential images for your business cards and stationary. Please review them and let us know which you would prefer so we can begin processing your order as soon as possible.

Sincerely,

Rebecca Marcus

Graphic Design

Bumble Bee Designs

**From:** thelizziebennet at gmail . com

**To: **rebeccam at bbdesigns . com

**Date: **16 May 2013 11:22 AM

**Subject:** Re: Logo

Dear Rebecca,

These are so great, thank you! I prefer the second one. I appreciate you doing this so quickly.

Sincerely,

Elizabeth Bennet

CEO

Bowtie Media

**From:** rebeccam at bbdesigns . com

**To:** thelizziebennet at gmail . com

**Date:** 17 May 2013 1:56 PM

**Subject:** Order Now Available

Dear Miss Bennet,

Your order is now available for pick up at our downtown location.

Thank you for your business and do let us know if you should require our services again in the future.

Sincerely,

Rebecca Marcus

Graphic Design

Bumble Bee Designs

**May 17, 2013 4:00 PM**

**Twitter: ** Thelizziebennet

Bowtie Media, my new company, is official. Check out my new business cards and logo!

**May 17, 2013 4:10 PM**

**Twitter:** atthelydiabennet

Thelizziebennet those are totes legit! WOW

**May 17, 2013 4:20 PM**

**Twitter: **at thecharlottelu

Thelizziebennet I love the red bow tie, it's perfect!

**May 20, 2013 10:32 AM**

**Twitter: (**at)Thelizziebennet

My company has its own twitter now. Go follow bowtie_media. More info and website coming soon

**May 20, 2013 11:58 AM**

**Twitter: (**at)bowtie_media

Wow, so many followers already! Welcome! Stay tuned in the next few days for some exciting announcements about our first project.

**From:** thelizziebennet at gmail . com

**BCC:** a . peters at spc . com; JRobbins at gmail . com; kevinstevenson at stevensondigital . com;

**Date:** 21 May 2013 10:22 AM

**Subject: **First script

**Attachment: **Beauty & the Beast . doc

As agreed, please find attached the script for the first children's story Bowtie Media is going to adapt using costume theatre. It should take about eight videos to tell the complete story, so that should give us our first month of content for "Costumed Tales". I'm currently working on the second story, (Red Riding Hood), and I've also contacted a few acting agencies to set up auditions for next week.

My hope is that we can begin filming at the beginning of June and be ready to release the first story starting on July 1st.

Sincerely,

Elizabeth Bennet

Owner

Bowtie Media

**May 21, 2013 10:49 AM**

**Twitter: ** bowtie_media

July 1st is a date you might want to put on your calendar #justsaying

**From:** kevinstevenson at stevensondigital . com

**To:** thelizziebennet at gmail . com

**Date:** 21 May 2013 11:04 AM

**Subject: **RE: First script

**Attachment: **Beauty & the Beast Kevin Edits . doc

Dear Lizzie,

I've attached my editorial commentary to this email. I trust you will find the feedback informative and helpful especially given my years of experience in digital media.

Please inform me of the times for auditions as I would like to be there to ensure we select two top quality performers.

Are you certain a July 1st premiere date isn't too ambitious?

Sincerely,

Kevin Stevenson

Digital Media Expert

Stevenson Digital

**May 22, 2013 4:32 PM**

**Text Message:** Jane to Lydia

- How do you feel about fashion?

**May 22, 2013 4:35PM**

**Text Message:** Lydia to Jane

- s'ok. Y?

**May 22, 2013 4:37 PM**

**Text Message:** Jane to Lydia

- My company just posted a paid internship

Starts in early June

**May 22, 2013 4:38PM**

**Text Message:** Lydia to Jane

- i might be interested

**May 22, 2013 4:39 PM**

**Text Message:** Jane to Lydia

- I'll send you the details

Deadline's Friday

**May 22, 2013 4:40PM**

**Text Message:** Lydia to Jane

- coolio

thx sis

**May 22, 2013 4:41 PM**

**Text Message: **Jane to Lydia

- Anytime. Bing and I would love to see you in New York

**May 22, 2013 4:42PM**

**Text Message: **Lydia to Jane

- NYC would be totes awesome

more awesome than studying

YUCK

**May 22, 2013 4:43 PM**

**Text Message: **Jane to Lydia

- How is the exam prep?

**May 22, 2013 4:43PM**

**Text Message:** Lydia to Jane

- BORING

LAME

i wanna poke my eyes out with a pencil but mary wont let me

**May 22, 2013 4:44 PM**

**Text Message: **Jane to Lydia

- Good because you have nice eyes

**May 22, 2013 4:45 PM**

**Text Message:** Lydia to Jane

- howd Lizzie do this for so long and not go insane?

**May 22, 2013 4:46 PM**

**Text Message:** Jane to Lydia

- Perseverance

Now go study. I'll email you the internship info

**May 22, 2013 4:47PM**

**Text Message: **Lydia to Jane

- eww

fine

**May 23, 2013 2:34 PM**

**Text Message: **Lizzie to Charlotte

- OMG Kevin Stevenson is driving me insane!

**May 23, 2013 2:36 PM**

**Text Message:** Charlotte to Lizzie

- Who?

**May 23, 2013 2:37 PM**

**Text Message: **Lizzie to Charlotte

- 1 of my investors

**May 23, 2013 2:38 PM**

**Text Message: **Charlotte to Lizzie

- Ahh, what's he doing?

**May 23, 2013 2:39 PM**

**Text Message: **Lizzie to Charlotte

- To start, he completely ripped apart my first script

**May 23, 2013 2:40 PM**

**Text Message:** Charlotte to Lizzie

- Constructive criticism is good though

**May 23, 2013 2:41 PM**

**Text Message: **Lizzie to Charlotte

- This wasn't constructive, it was condescending

Here, I'll send it to you

**May 23, 2013 2:50 PM**

**Text Message:** Charlotte to Lizzie

- I want to punch this guy in the face

He's talking to you like you're 5 or something

**May 23, 2013 2:51 PM**

**Text Message: **Lizzie to Charlotte

- I know

I hate it

**May 23, 2013 2:52 PM**

**Text Message:** Charlotte to Lizzie

- What was that tangent he added with Belle ending up with Gaston?

It completely alters the story and misses the point

**May 23, 2013 2:53 PM**

**Text Message: **Lizzie to Charlotte

- It's ridiculous and infuriating

Gaston wasn't even IN my version since he's a Disney creation and not part of the original Fairy Tale

**May 23, 2013 2:54 PM**

**Text Message:** Charlotte to Lizzie

- Valid point

**May 23, 2013 2:55 PM**

**Text Message:** Charlotte to Lizz

- If that was all, I could cope but he calls like every hour to check in and share his thoughts

**May 23, 2013 2:56 PM**

**Text Message:** Charlotte to Lizzie

- Wow. Even CdB isn't that bad

**May 23, 2013 2:57 PM**

**Text Message: **Lizzie to Charlotte

- Right?

I wish I could tell him to back off

**May 23, 2013 2:58 PM**

**Text Message: **Charlotte to Lizzie

-Why can't you?

**May 23, 2013 2:59 PM**

**Text Message: **Lizzie to Charlotte

- He's my biggest investor

I just have to deal

**May 23, 2013 3:00 PM**

**Text Message:** Charlotte to Lizzie

- That sucks

You can vent to me anytime you need to

**May 23, 2013 3:01 PM**

**Text Message:** Lizzie to Charlotte

- Thanks Char

**May 24, 2013 11:15 AM**

**Twitter: ** bowtie_media

It's still in development, but checkout our new website: bowtiemedia . com

**May 24, 2013 5:57 PM**

**Text Message: **Lydia to Lizzie, Jane

- BOOYAH! Exams are OVER BITCHEZ!

**May 24, 2013 5:58 PM**

**Text Message: **Lizzie to Lydia, Jane

- YAY!

**May 24, 2013 5:59 PM**

**Text Message: **Lydia to Lizzie, Jane

- THX.

Website is awesomesauce BTW

**May 24, 2013 6:00 PM**

**Text Message:** Lizzie to Lydia, Jane

- Still needs work but it's a start

**May 24, 2013 6:01 PM**

**Text Message: **Lydia to Lizzie, Jane

- ADD GLITTER

every1 3s glitter

**May 24, 2013 6:02 PM**

**Text Message:** Lizzie to Lydia, Jane

- NO!

**May 24, 2013 6:00 PM**

**Text Message:** Jane to Lydia, Lizzie

- I'm so proud of you

**May 24, 2013 6:03 PM**

**Text Message:** Lydia to Jane, Lizzie

- thx, its just a test though

**May 24, 2013 6:04 PM**

**Text Message:** Lydia to Jane

i applied btw

**May 24, 2013 6:04 PM**

**Text Message: **Jane to Lydia

- Oh that's FANTASTIC

**May 24, 2013 6:05 PM**

**Text Message: **Lydia to Jane

- probs wont get it but YOLO

**May 25, 2013 11:30 AM**

**Text Message: **Lizzie to Gigi

- Thanks for the washcloth

**May 25, 2013 11:33 AM**

**Text Message: **Gigi to Lizzie

- Oh good! You got it then?

**May 25, 2013 11:34 AM**

**Text Message:** Lizzie to Gigi

- YES! I can't believe you made it!

**May 25, 2013 11:35 AM**

**Text Message: **Gigi to Lizzie

- me either!

**May 27, 2013 11:04 AM**

**Twitter **ggdarcy

I owe Clara for her map assistance. Maybe a washcloth from craft night? ( YouTube /OhNEZToPf2A?a)

**May 27, 2013 12:07 PM**

**Text Message: **Lizzie to William

- Should we be concerned that Gigi still needs a map to get around Sanditon?

**May 27, 2013 12:09 PM**

**Text Message: **William to Lizzie

- Very funny.

I am sure she filmed that several days ago.

**May 27, 2013 12:10 PM**

**Text Message:** Lizzie to William

- I know

I was kidding

**May 29, 2013 12:09 PM**

**Text Message: **William to Lizzie

- You are running auditions today, correct?

**May 29, 2013 12:10 PM**

**Text Message: **Lizzie to William

- Starting at 1

**May 29, 2013 12:11 PM**

**Text Message:** William to Lizzie

- Good luck!

May I take you out for dinner after?

**May 29, 2013 12:12 PM**

**Text Message: **Lizzie to William

- That would be nice

**May 29, 2013 12:15 PM**

**Text Message**: William to Lizzie

- The reservation has been made.

I shall pick you up at 6:30.

**May 29, 2013 12:16 PM**

**Text Message: **Lizzie to William

- Perfect :)

**May 30, 2013 3:22 PM**

**Text Message: **Lydia to Jane

- OMG! I GOT IT!

**May 30, 2013 3:25 PM**

**Text Message: **Jane to Lydia

- That's GREAT news!

When do you start?

**May 30, 2013 3:26 PM**

**Text Message: **Lydia to Jane

- nxt friday

**May 30, 2013 3:27PM**

**Text Message: **Jane to Lydia

- You can stay with me, of course!

Let me know when you've booked your flight and I'll arrange to come pick you up

**May 30, 2013 3:28 PM**

**Text Message: **Lydia to Jane

- i have to tell mom and dad first

**May 30, 2013 3:29 PM**

**Text Message:** Jane to Lydia

- It'll be fine

Tell Mom to call me if she's concerned

**May 30, 2013 3:30PM**

**Text Message: **Lydia to Jane

- K IM GOING IN

**May 30, 2013 3:52 PM**

**Text Message: **Lydia to Jane

- thx 4 talking 2 mom

ILL SEE U ON TUESDAY!

OMG SO EXCITED!

**May 30, 2013 3:54 PM**

**Text Message:** Lydia to Lizzie

- GUESS WHO IS MOVING TO NYC?!

**May 30, 2013 3:55 PM**

**Text Message**: Lizzie to Lydia

- OMG! SO HAPPY FOR YOU

Call me right now, I need details

**May 31, 2013 2:43 PM**

_You've reached Bowtie Media. We are not able to answer your call at the moment but if you leave a message after the beep we will respond as soon as possible. You can also find us on the web at __bowtiemedia . com_ _. _

Lizzie? It's Kevin. I've been thinking about the girl we selected, and I am just not sure she really is right for the part. Could you schedule another batch of auditions for next week? Also, I thought we talked about making adjustments to the script. Call me back so we can discuss it in detail.

**June 4, 2013 9:00 AM**

**Twitter: (**at)bowtie_media

I'm very proud to be able to announce our very first project: CostumedTales! Click the link for more info! bowtiemedia . com (slash) news

**June 4, 2013 9:00 AM**

bowtiemedia . com (slash) news

**Introducing… Costumed Tales**

As many regular viewers of _The Lizzie Bennet Diaries_ will recall, a prevalent feature was how costume theatre was used to retell events. For Bowtie Media's freshman venture, we'll be taking that idea and applying it to familiar children's stories. Each story will be told over multiple parts by two actors who will using a variety of props and voices to tell the story.

Our first Costumed Tale, a retelling of _Beauty and the Beast_, will premiere on YouTube on July 1st, 2013.

To ensure you don't miss it be sure to subscribe at youtube . com (slash) user / costumedtales and follow us on twitter at costumedtales.

**From: **CharlotteLu at cnc . com

**To: **thelizziebennet at gmail . com

**Date: **4 June 2013 1:13 PM

**Subject:** Save me from the insanity

Hey Bestie,

Haven't heard from you in a while, and we had a lull at work so I thought I'd send you a quick email. (Also I miss you.) Things are kinda crazy over here. Turns out, our intern, Kelsey Geller, ended up on Pemberley Digital's Domino beta website yesterday when she answered a call from someone in the town. Catherine is in a tizzy about it, but honestly it's been good for business. Our new tech support has been getting tons of calls. Plus, it wasn't Kelsey's fault and she's a hard worker. I just feel bad that she had to be subjected to Catherine in this state. Either way, it's been nuttier than usual around here. I think I'm due for a vacation.

How are things in San Fran? You and Darcy still good? Did you sort out casting yet? Tell me everything about your life Lizzie, I miss you!

3

Char

**From:** thelizziebennet at gmail . com

**To: **CharlotteLu at cnc . com

**Date: **4 June 2013 2:01 AM

**Subject: **RE: Save me from the insanity

OMG Catherine in full rampage mode sounds TERRIFYING! (Let's face it, Catherine is terrifying ANY day!) I'm glad your intern didn't get into trouble for that though, sounds like it wasn't her fault. William said they've had a few glitches with the Domino software - he had to work over the weekend even - so I'm not surprised.

Things here are good. Really good. I see William pretty much every day, and he's been incredibly supportive about everything. I haven't told him about Kevin - that's something I need to work out for myself, but I did talk through a few of the casting choices with him, and he was pretty helpful. Kevin is still driving me nuts. We finally finished casting this thing, but it took me forever to get him to agree with my choice. We even had to hold an extra day of auditions yesterday, and in the end we chose the same girl we had decided on last week. It's like he always needs to be right or something. UGH. I thought owning my own company would mean I wouldn't have to deal with people like that anymore.

Did you hear Lydia's news? She got an internship in New York with a different department in Jane's company. She starts on Friday but she's flying out there today. In fact she's on a plane as we speak. Mom is convinced she's going to meet some wealthy business man while she's out there, so she's tickled pink about the whole thing. You know how she is.

Okay, I should get back to work. I have a script to edit and a shoot to schedule.

Lizzie :)

**June 5, 2013 9:23 AM**

**Text Message: **Fitz to Gigi

- Yo! GGD!

**June 5, 2013 9:25 AM**

**Text Message:** Gigi to Fitz

- Fitz! What's up? :)

**June 5, 2013 9:26 AM**

**Text Message: **Fitz to Gigi

- important Team!Figi intel

**June 5, 2013 9:27 AM**

**Text Message: **Gigi to Fitz

- OMG ARE THEY ENGAGED ALREADY?!

**June 5, 2013 9:28 AM**

**Text Message: **Fitz to Gigi

- Nope. But I picked up your bro today and spotted Lizzie trying to slip out

It's not the first time

I'm pretty sure shes just using your apartment as her office

**June 5, 2013 9:29 AM**

**Text Message: **Gigi to Fitz

- Interesting… ;)

What did my brother have to say?

**June 5, 2013 9:30 AM**

**Text Message:** Fitz to Gigi

- Blushed and changed the subject

**June 5, 2013 9:31 AM**

**Text Message: **Gigi to Fitz

- Typical

gotta go. Keep me posted!

**June 5, 2013 9:32 AM**

**Text Message: **Fitz to Gigi

- Will do

MISS U GGD!

**June 5, 2013 9:31 AM**

**Text Message: **Gigi to Fitz

- U2

**June 7, 2013 5:30 AM**

**Text Message: **Lizzie to Lydia

- Good luck lil sis!

**June 7, 2013 5:31 AM**

**Text Message: **Lydia to Lizzie

-THX LIZZIE!

- OMG wat r u doing up so early tho?

**June 7, 2013 5:32 AM**

**Text Message: **Lizzie to Lydia

- Wanted to catch you before your 1st day

Going badk to sleep after

**June 7, 2013 5:33 AM**

**Text Message: **Lydia to Lizzie

- unnecessary but thx

**June 7, 2013 5:34 AM**

**Text Message: **Lizzie to Lydia

- Totally necessary

Call tonight to tell me all about it?

**June 7, 2013 5:35 AM**

**Text Message: **Lydia to Lizzie

- course

now go back 2 sleep

lunatic

**June 10, 2013 11:00 AM**

**Twitter: **at bowtie_media

Today is our first official shoot day for at CostumedTales! Remember the show premieres July 1st

**From: **c . deburgh at deburgh . com

**To: **wmdarcy at pemberleydigital . com

**Date: **12 June 2013 8:30 AM

**Subject: **Dinner

Good Morning William,

I trust you are well.

I am writing because I will be in town this week and I was hoping that you and Mr. Williams might join me for dinner this Friday night, June 14th. It has been far too long since I have seen you. If you are still seeing that Bennet girl you may as well bring her along also.

Dinner will take place in my San Francisco home at precisely 7 PM. Do let me know at your earliest convenience if you shall be able to make it.

Sincerely,

Catherine de Burgh

**June 12, 2013 9:30 AM**

**Text Message: **William to Lizzie

- My aunt has invited us to dine with her on Friday evening.

Are you available?

**June 12, 2013 9:35 AM**

**Text Message:** Lizzie to William

- Unfortunately yes

**June12, 2013 9:36 AM**

**Text Message:** William to Lizzie

- She's not that bad

**June 12, 2013 9:37 AM**

**Text Message:** Lizzie to William

- To you, maybe

last time we saw her I could feel her disapproval seeping into my PORES

**June 12, 2013 9:38 AM**

**Text Message: **William to Lizzie

- Shall I RSVP yes then?

**June 12, 2013 9:39 AM**

**Text Message: **Lizzie to William

- She's your family, so yes, of course

**From:** wmdarcy at pemberleydigital . com

**To: **c . deburgh at deburgh . com

**Date: **12 June 2013 10:30 AM

**Subject:** Dinner

Lizzie and I would be delighted to join you for dinner on Friday evening. I have spoken with Fitz just now as well, and he is also able to make it. We shall see you then. I will bring the wine you like.

William Darcy

CEO

PemberleyDigital

**June 13, 2013 2:34 PM**

**Text Message: **Lizzie to Gigi

- How do I make your aunt like me?

**June 13, 2013 2:35 PM**

**Text Message:** Gigi to Lizzie

- be yourself

**June 13, 2013 2:36 PM**

**Text Message:** Lizzie to Gigi

- I tried that last time and she hated me

**June 13, 2013 2:37 PM**

**Text Message: **Gigi to Lizzie

- Im sure thats not true

**June 13, 2013 2:38 PM**

**Text Message: **Lizzie to Gigi

- She barely even looked at me

**June 13, 2013 2:39 PM**

**Text Message: **Gigi to Lizzie

- Aunt Catherine is slow to warm up to people

She'll come around

**June 13, 2013 2:40 PM**

**Text Message: **Lizzie to Gigi

- I just don't want to let William down

**June 13, 2013 2:41 PM**

**Text Message:** Gigi to Lizzie

- I know that feeling

You won't though

He adores you

**June 13, 2013 2:42 PM**

**Text Message:** Lizzie to Gigi

- I wish I were as confident as you are about that

**June 13, 2013 2:43 PM**

**Text Message: **Gigi to Lizzie

- Trust me

I know my brother

and my aunt

you have nothing to worry about

**June 13, 2013 2:44 PM**

**Text Message:** Lizzie to Gigi

- I hope you're right

**June 13, 2013 2:45 PM**

**Text Message:** Gigi to Lizzie

- I am

**From:** bkallechenko at me . com

**To: **wmdarcy at pemberleydigital . com

**Date: **14 June 2013 10:30 AM

**Subject:** A Concern

Dear William,

It has recently come to my attention that we have a new competitor here in San Francisco called Bowtie Media. Prior to our board meeting next week, could you please research this company? It is pertinent that we learn everything that we can about them to ensure that they do not become a threat to our properties.

Sincerely,

Brian Kallechenko

Board Chairman

Pemberley Digital

_To Be Continued_

* * *

**_End Notes: _**

* * *

Unfortunately I couldn't link within the body of this chapter, but there is now some transmedia for this fic. costumedtales and bowtie_media both exist on twitter and there is even a website (bowtie - media . tumblr . com) (no spaces). Throughout the duration of this fic, these will be updated accordingly, both with details that are in the chapters as well as a few bonuses (not seeing these will not affect your ability to follow the story so if you don't care for transmedia, you're not going to be missing out, the bonuses will just serve to flesh out Lizzie's company a bit more and may give you some hints about things that are coming up in the plot).

All of the graphics that you see on either of the twitters or on the website are made by Becca whom I would like to give a MASSIVE thank you to. None of the transmedia stuff would have the impact that it does without her work. If you have a moment, please send her a tweet (she's beccabumblybee) or a tumblr message (she's ahundredteas) and shower her with love!

PS - I'm still accepting questions for the author Q&A I mentioned in my note at the end of chapter 11 so please send me your questions!


	13. Chapter 13

**Notes: **

* * *

_Massive shout out to __**Booknoser321**__ and __**ErinWert**__ for their betaing of this chapter. _

_See end of chapter for more notes._

* * *

William started at his computer screen and reread the email from Brian Kallechenko for what must have been the hundredth time already. He was frustrated. Disregarding the fact that the company in question was Lizzie's, the fact that had Brian ask him to dig up information on another company was infuriating. Pemberley had never been the type of business where they were overly concerned about their competitors. Instead they had focused on producing the best content and software that they could. They were at the top of their field because they were always looking for new ways to push the envelope, to utilise and develop new technologies, to better and further, not just Pemberley Digital, but the industry as a whole. That had been his parents' vision, and William had worked hard to keep that in tact. He and Brian had never seen eye-to-eye on this matter, but William was growing weary of constantly having to fight the same battles over and over again.

Anger boiled in his veins, and he was half tempted to charge into Brian's office and rail at him for the audacity of his email, for his complete and utter disregard for company values. Thankfully, however, a part of his brain was still thinking rationally, and instead he picked up the phone to call Fitz.

"Yo! This is Fitz!"

Taken aback by the informal greeting, William replied, "That's how you answer your business line?"

"Caller ID, duffus!"

"Oh." William stared down at his desk for a moment, his thoughts still scattered from his boiling rage. "If you've got a moment can you come see me in my office?"

Fitz must have sensed something in William's voice, because his response lacked his usual enthusiasm. "Dude, is something wrong?"

"Just come. Please."

"I'll be right there."

Sure enough, less than a minute later, Fitz waltzed into his office, closed the door and flopped onto the sofa, crossing his legs and looking up at his friend. "So what's up?"

William read him the email, his voice shaking uncharacteristically as he tried to contain his emotions. His rage returned anew, and he had to grip the arms of his chair to refrain from pounding the desk.

Fitz extracted himself from the couch and came around to face the computer screen and reread the email. "Well that's a load of bull. Pemberley doesn't spy on the competition."

"I want to go give this jerk a piece of my mind, but given that he's the chair of the board, that's probably not a wise decision."

Perching himself on the edge of William's desk, Fitz looked down at him thoughtfully. "I think you should write back and remind him of Pemberley's policy regarding competitors. Be succinct, polite, and firm. Mention your parents and their vision. Then let it go. He's been trying to get you riled up for years. Don't let him succeed this time."

Feeling better than he had since the email had arrived, William nodded. "You're right. I'll write back now and then I will go about the rest of my day with my head held high. I refuse to let Brian Kallechenko get the better of me or this company."

"That's the spirit!" Fitz offered his hand to high five, but William ignored it, instead refocusing on his computer screen.

LB-LB-LB-LB-LB

At least half a dozen outfits lay scattered across the bed, and Lizzie stood at the foot of it, frowning. Nothing was right. Nothing was good enough. She needed something that was elegant yet professional, something that would impress Catherine de Burgh.

Oh, who was she kidding? She could wear the most expensive evening gown on the planet, and Catherine would still think Lizzie wasn't good enough for William.

Lizzie sighed heavily, throwing herself onto the bed and knocking several clothing items onto the floor in the process. The thing was, Catherine was right. Lizzie was completely out of William's league. She'd grown up in a world of public schools, potluck dinners, and hand-me-down clothes. William had grown up in a world of private schools, catered five course meals, and access to top-of-the-line everything. On paper, everything about William Darcy had to do with wealth and status. There was a weight of expectations on his shoulders, and those expectations were not met by him dating a freshly graduated media student with debts she was certain she'd never be able to pay back.

She knew now that the reality of William Darcy was different. The William she had come to know and love was a very modest and surprisingly down-to-earth person who was pragmatic, unapologetically kind, and incredibly passionate. He was deeply loyal to those that he cared about, and he cared little about what others thought of him. None of that mattered though, not when it came to people like his Aunt Catherine or Caroline Lee.

To them, Lizzie would always be not good enough, not classy enough, not pretty enough. No matter what she did, she would always be compared to the shadows of the types of women they thought he should be with. With that depressing thought, Lizzie buried her head in a pillow. Maybe if she suffocated, she wouldn't have to attend this dinner tonight.

After a good five minutes of wallowing, Lizzie forced herself to sit up. She was a grown woman. She loved William. She would go to that dinner tonight with her head held high, and she would do everything in her power to prove to Catherine de Burgh that she _was _good enough.

To do that, she was going to need a great outfit, and she knew just the person to help her select it.

Resolved, Lizzie reached for her phone and dialled her sister. "Jane? I need your fashion expertise."

LB-LB-LB-LB-LB

It was a fairly frequent occurrence for Lizzie to take his breath away, but William was completely unprepared for the tightening in his chest that he experienced as she strode down the steps when he arrived to pick her up for dinner. The long blue dress she wore hugged her body perfectly and the colour made her eyes look even more vibrant than usual. Her hair was spun in an elegant swirl that seemed to him to be held in place by magic since he couldn't see a single hair tie or barrette.

He greeted her with a smile, kissing her cheek carefully so as not to smudge her makeup. "You look incredible," he whispered in her ear before pulling away to open the passenger door for her.

As she slid past him to get into the car, she dragged a hand slowly over the lapel of his jacket and down along his tie in a way that sent shivers up and down his spine. "You're looking pretty spectacular yourself," she teased.

"Thank you." William waited to close the door, watching as she carefully gathered the extra fabric from the skirt of the dress around her knees.

He slipped into the driver's seat a moment later, and as he shifted the car into gear, he felt Lizzie's hand cover his. She was shaking slightly so he risked a quick glance her way. "Lizzie? Are you all right?"

"Just nervous." Lizzie entwined her fingers with his, and when he stopped at a red light he carefully lifted her hand and pressed his lips to it.

"It's going to be fine."

"I know."

By the time William pulled up to Aunt Catherine's building, he was happy to see that Lizzie seemed much more relaxed. He knew that his aunt made her nervous and uncomfortable, so he appreciated the effort she'd gone through tonight. His aunt wasn't particularly his favourite person either - she could be judgemental, opinionated, and extremely critical, but she was his family and he loved and respected her.

They rode the elevator up to the penthouse in silence and within moments were standing outside his aunt's door. William took Lizzie's hand, squeezed it reassuringly, and knocked on the door.

LB-LB-LB-LB-LB

Lizzie had never seen such a fancy apartment in her life. Everything gleamed with cleanliness and not a single item seemed to be out of place. There was a sort of meticulous precision to the way that everything was displayed - family photos in perfectly matching frames, spaced exactly the same width apart; expensive looking flowers arranged perfectly in crystal vases; brand new candles interspersed evenly along the dinner table. It was a bit like a museum, and Lizzie would be lying to herself if she said it didn't make her a little bit uncomfortable.

It wasn't the first time she'd been in one of Catherine's homes, of course, but her mansion at Huntsfield, though stately and also immaculate, had felt less fancy and more lived in, more homelike. Lizzie supposed that was because Catherine was rarely at her San Francisco home, but all the same, she felt more out of place here than she had expected.

Fitz had greeted them at the door, but even he seemed more subdued here which made the ball of nerves in the pit of Lizzie's stomach continue to churn.

Catherine emerged suddenly from somewhere, looking as polished and refined as ever. She smiled at William over the rims of her glasses and immediately greeted him with a kiss on both cheeks, which he returned.

"William, it is delightful to see you," she said, looping her arm through his elbow and guiding him over to a very uncomfortable looking sofa. Fitz was already sitting as well, which left Lizzie standing in the entryway alone, feeling incredibly awkward.

As Catherine peppered William with question after question about everything from his sister to Pemberley, to his stocks, Lizzie edged her way into the room as unobtrusively as possible and carefully perched herself on the edge of an upholstered chair. After what seemed like an eon, there was finally a break in the conversation and William seized his chance, standing up and coming to stand next to Lizzie.

"Aunt Catherine, you remember Lizzie Bennet?"

Catherine fixed her gaze on Lizzie and it was all she could do not to squirm. She was incredibly grateful when William laced his fingers with hers. "Elizabeth," Catherine said finally in a careful, measured tone. "I trust you are well."

"Very well, thank you."

"Good." The older woman nodded once authoritatively and stood. "Come now, it is time to dine."

LB-LB-LB-LB-LB

Dinners with Aunt Catherine had never been particularly stimulating affairs, but as the evening wore on, William found himself growing increasingly frustrated with her. Somehow she kept managing to exclude Lizzie from nearly every conversation, and he could tell that although she was smiling and trying to chime in wherever she could, Lizzie was feeling the slight.

Aunt Catherine, for her part, was merrily chirping away, regaling them with a tale of Annikins' most recent trip to the vet.

"Where is Annikins?" Lizzie asked, and William was grateful there was finally a topic of conversation Lizzie could engage in - even if it was about that insufferable beast.

"Annikins does not travel well. It is bad for her digestion, so I left her behind with a trusted colleague. I am only here for a few days after all."

Lizzie nodded. "Oh, right. That makes sense."

After acknowledging Lizzie's response with a curt nod, Catherine methodically shifted her attention to Fitz, asking him a question about Brandon. As Fitz responded, William let his attention wander to Lizzie. She was sitting stiffly in the high-backed chair, using her fork to push food back and forth, though she didn't appear to have actually eaten anything. Aunt Catherine was clearly upsetting her, but he wasn't sure what to do about it.

Desperate to force his aunt to actually engage positively with Lizzie in some way, when the opportunity arose, William tried to shift the conversation into more comfortable territory. "Lizzie has recently been incredibly busy starting up her own company. She's in the process of creating her very first production."

"Is that right?" Catherine turned to Lizzie, and the scrutiny in her gaze caused William to shudder. He had never in all his life seen his aunt act so coldly towards anyone, and frankly, it was starting to annoy him.

Lizzie hesitated and cast a glance towards William. He smiled encouragingly and reached for her hand beneath the table. "Yes. The company is called Bowtie Media and —"

Catherine interrupted her, "Bowtie Media? Sounds a little juvenile, don't you think? It doesn't quite have the sort of veritas that says 'this is a company you should do business with'."

Lizzie had slipped her hand from his and was staring down at her plate, no longer even pretending to eat. This was completely unacceptable.

"Aunt Catherine!" William was shocked. He had never known his aunt to be so rude. "That was uncalled for."

"That was honesty," Catherine said dismissively, turning her attention to one of the people she'd hired to cater the meal. "Edward, please clear our plates now. I think it's time for dessert."

LB-LB-LB-LB-LB

Dessert was a predictably extravagant cheese cake adorned with some type of exotic fruit Lizzie couldn't even identify. Not that it mattered since she'd lost her appetite almost from the moment they'd sat down.

Her previous encounters with Catherine de Burgh had been tedious, slightly awkward, and most assuredly uncomfortable, but this, this was something else entirely. Lizzie had been making an effort to engage with her all evening and it seemed that every time she tried, Catherine threw a road block in her way.

As Fitz regaled everyone with a story about a recent hiking trip, Lizzie stared down at her plate. She'd been working so hard on her company, had given the name considerable thought before deciding on it, and to have it dismissed in such a way was disheartening. Juvenile. Was that how other people saw her company? She had chosen the name because she thought it was adorable, and it reflected the direction she wanted her company to go in, but maybe she'd been wrong. Doubt overwhelmed her and Lizzie found herself blinking back tears._ No. _She told herself. _I won't cry. Not here. Not in front of HER. _

Lizzie took a shaky breath and looked up, trying to regain her bearings on the current conversation.

Catherine was speaking now, though her words did nothing to improve Lizzie's mood. "William you really should come down to visit next weekend. Nadine Carlisle will be there and I would love for you to meet her and to take her out for dinner. She's incredibly beautiful, accomplished, and intelligent, and comes from an extremely reputable family. She would be an excellent match for you."

Blinking in disbelief, Lizzie gaped at the woman across from her. Had she really just implied that she wanted to set William up with another woman while Lizzie was right there? She had long suspected that Catherine did not approve of their relationship but this was a whole new level. Beside her, she felt William stiffen, and one glance at him told her that he too was upset. His hands were curled into fists beneath the table, and his jaw was ridged and set.

Even Fitz, usually unfazed by anything, looked taken aback.

Rage and hurt bubbled within her. Lizzie could handle being ignored, she could even handle the insult on her company's name, but for Catherine to have the gall to upset William, to insult their relationship in such a manner? That was something Lizzie couldn't stand for.

Barely even aware of what she was doing, Lizzie stood up abruptly, her gaze fixed upon the other woman. "How DARE you?" she asked, her voice shaking slightly.

Catherine calmly wiped the edge of her lips with a napkin before setting it down and looking directly at Lizzie, a small satisfied smile stretched across her face. "Excuse me?"

Words tumbled out of Lizzie's mouth, without thought or fear of consequence. "Whether you are happy about it or not, William and I are together. We are in a relationship, and we are incredibly happy. I understand that I don't have the kind of background that you would like to see in someone that William dates, but that does not mean that it is all right for you to invite us here and then try to set him up with someone else. It's rude and it's disrespectful, not just to me, but to your nephew. William is his own person, and he is capable of making his own choices. Whether you like it or not, he _chose_ me and as his family, you should respect that. You don't have to like me, or even talk to me, if you don't want to, but William is an amazing person, and I love him and for you to—"

"You love me?" William spoke softly, but the wonder and surprise in his voice caused Lizzie to stop her tirade and turn towards him.

This wasn't exactly the way she'd imagined telling him, but since she'd already blurted it out in the heat of the moment, she could hardly take it back now. Not that she wanted to. She smiled at him, not caring that Catherine and Fitz were both present as well. "With all my heart." She placed a hand on his cheek. "I love you."

William leaned in, as though he were going to kiss her, but at the last minute he turned instead, wrapping an arm protectively around Lizzie and turning to face his aunt. "Lizzie is absolutely correct," he said steadily. "Your behaviour towards her tonight has been deplorable and, family or not, I will not stand by and watch you treat the woman I love, in such a disrespectful manner." He looked at Lizzie."Yes, in case you have any doubts, I love you. With all of my being."

Lizzie grinned. "I had my suspicions, but it's nice to hear the words."

"Save that thought." William turned back to his aunt. "Thank you for dinner, but I think it's time that Lizzie and I withdraw. We will not join you again until you apologise, and treat my _girlfriend_ with the respect and dignity that she deserves."

Before Catherine could respond, William guided Lizzie to the door, retrieved both of their coats, and ushered them out of the apartment.

_To be continued… _

**End Notes:**

* * *

Just a quick note about the transmedia elements that I introduced in the last chapter. If you're following Bowtie_Media and CostumedTales, you'll notice that some tweets went out over the last week each with an in-world date after them. Because of the pacing of this chapter and the next, there will be more tweets over the next week that will line up with the timing of the next chapter so just pay attention to the in-world dates. If it helps, the events of this chapter take place on June 14th. I'm in the process of compiling the transmedia elements into a master-list for people who want to be able to look at them quickly, when that's done, it'll be posted on the bowtie_media tumblr.

Regarding the Q&A. Due to family stuff I haven't had the time to sit down and answer your questions. I'm hoping to do that in the next few days so there's still time to send me more questions. For sure they'll be up by the time the next chapter goes up. Sorry for the delay. It was unavoidable.


End file.
